Your Dark Knight
by A Raven of Emotions
Summary: BTR Kames AU, Dominant!James; Going down the street looking for angels, a heart beating to a trigger while an anti-hero comes to be...
1. Chapter 1

Hey. Well it's the day after my birthday, I was dreaming of dark heroes and wanted to write more Submissive!Kendall. I don't know, the kind reviewers of Monster said it was good, so here's another for another try, with Dominant!James...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...! Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this one shot...! Sorry for the James being a hero and stuff! I was raised with Batman and other DC characters taking a major part of my life and they are my greatest inspiration when depressed, so I hope that explains why! This is an AU, so expect some strange things coming into play because my mind is very unpredictable!

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"Kendall, you done drooling yet?" Logan Mitchell teased his blonde best friend, mocha brown eyes gleaming in amusement.

Said fifteen-year old blonde blinked out of his trance and blushed a bright red, tearing his eyes from Sherwood High's almost barren schoolyard and turning to the brainy ravenette, clutching his school bag to his chest.

"Shut up, Logie. I wasn't drooling."

"So what were you doing, just mooning over James Diamond? Again, if I may add, for the sixth time in only today?" Logan asked with a grin, getting a punch from the slightly taller boy to the arm.

Kendall Knight sighed and looked from his and Logan's spot at the flagpole to farther down the schoolyard to the lonely bus stop, a bunch of Poetry Club kids hanging there like ants to an apple core. All were laughing or reciting pieces for the upcoming jam in a week, but the blonde was only focused on the leader, the top poet of the group.

James Richard-Samuel Diamond.

He was a tall brunette with big hazel brown eyes (which Kendall knew about very well, despite the dark shades over those deep pools at the moment) and the body of a war-god, something clear because of his skin-tight clothes: a black hoodie with a giant red X on his toned torso, a black jacket tossed over it with black skinny jeans hugging his long, runner's legs and red-and-black high tops. He had streaks of red (more natural looking though, not neon) among his chocolate locks and a single black diamond (Kendall didn't even know those existed; well the guy was filthy rich, his single mother Brooke could pull off miracles with the money she raked in from her famous cosmetics company) piercing in his right ear followed by a handmade (though it was so well drawn it could be mistaken for real ink) tattoo of an X over the number thirteen on the side of his neck in large smoky, red-and-black shapes.

He was seen as a troublemaker (a horrible stereotype by society due to his dark clothes and often anti-social personality) by the vice principal and some of his snooty classmates but was the popular guy in his Poetry, Guitar, Art, and Creative Writing Clubs. He was a solo singer for the school's Chorus concerts or dances, he was a mystery because he only had one close friend yet hung out with people who couldn't even scratch the ice of the armor he wore 24/7. He was something else, a something else that has held Kendall's attention for as long as he has known of the brunette's existence.

They've been in the same schools and classes since Pre-K; and not once, since the blonde could look back to childhood memories, have they ever talked.

Because Kendall always got all shy and red in the face when talking about the brunette, that even worse when looking at him directly in the eyes or to the side during school.

"You know you can go over there and talk to him right, it's not like he's a shark ready to eat anyone who comes near him." Logan pointed out, running a spidery hand through his spiky, dark brown hair; Kendall's bottle green eyes stared at him as if he had just grown two extra heads.

"Logan, are you crazy? I'm just a shy artist from his Art Club who's a Hockey player for his school, who is captain, but that doesn't even talk to those on his own team! I'm practically invisible to him, he's so cool and hot and I'm just plain, invisible Kendall Knight. Plus, he's not even in my range!"

"Just because you're a sophomore and he's a junior doesn't mean you can't be friends with him or something, really now those rules are so overrated. Come on Kendall, you've liked him since we were kids, no correction you've loved him since we were kids! He's a guy, a human being like us so what are you waiting for?" Logan asked as he crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

Kendall shot him an annoyed glare and pulled out his sketchbook, the weak breeze blowing back the dirty blonde hair peeking out from under his gray beanie.

"Dude, I'll take your advice when you decide to talk to Carlos Garcia, the only guy you've crushed hard on since I've known you, who if I may add happens to be James' only best friend. When you do that, I'll talk to my crush. Until then, I think I'll head home from here. Art Club didn't have a meeting today because Miss Stone was out sick, so I think I should just go now. See you tomorrow?" The blonde asked, buttoning up the loose gray plaid shirt he had over his plain blue tank top from the now upstaging cold; black, heavy clouds were filling the sky, meaning bad, long-lasting rain was to reign town soon.

Logan merely smiled and nodded, he and Kendall parting ways as he headed for the student parking lot toward his car; normally he would try to convince Kendall to let him give him a ride but knew the blonde liked walking home, walking was a way he got inspired for his awesome drawings and watercolor paintings.

Kendall waved at the straight-A student's retreating back before heading along on his way, bag slung over one shoulder while he flipped through the pages of his sketchbook, smiling with a dark red blush when he found the newest drawing he did of James.

It was beautiful but to the blonde, it could never do justice to the real thing: the brunette laying under a tree with his acoustic guitar, shades hanging from one of his many black hoodies (black and red seem to be his favorite colors, though his car was a forest green) while his hazel eyes sparkled in the light of the imaginary sun; he was smiling, not smirking his trademark smirk, but genuinely smiling a smile that exposed his sparkling white teeth while he stared up into nothingness, probably lost in his own thoughts. At least, that was what Kendall wanted to capture.

This was the only way the sophomore could admire the other without babbling around like an idiot at speaking his name or being a klutz on his own two feet when walking the same hallways; from afar and out of sight, never within reach.

Kendall sighed, one hand disappearing into the back left pocket of his light blue jeans.

"Why can't I be like this around you, all calm and chilled, instead of just watching from afar? I guess I'm just chicken..." He whispered, usually bright eyes now dim in sadness, the bottle green now close to a sickly sea shade.

He was soon out of the schoolyard, waving bye to Officer Wainwright who waved back with a fond smile, before he turned a corner when the traffic lights flashed red; he was just passing the grocery store where he worked at on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, minding his own business and trying to push the thoughts of James out of his head.

When it happened.

It was like everything was on fast forward on a DVD player; he was jumped on from behind by two taller, stronger guys (probably seniors since they didn't give off the air of being that much older than him) as rain started to fall and forced to the ground, one of them armed with a baseball bat while the other pinned him to the concrete and pressed a switch blade to his throat. He gasped and tried to scream but the dude with the bat, his hair brown but face hidden by the immense shadows of the darkening evening, soon stuffed a rag in his mouth to keep him quiet.

"Hush and just give us whatever you have on you. Money, a watch, whatever and we won't hurt you." The brown-haired guy snarled; the one with the switch blade, the one whose blue eyes gleamed in the strike of lightning now illuminating the darkness over their heads, barked a harsh laugh under his breath.

"Let's check his bag and get the hell out of here, we don't want the old fart running the store catching us on camera or something." He said to his partner, who nodded and kept the bat in Kendall's line of sight to warn him not to make any comebacks as he ripped the blonde's bag off his shoulder and start to dig through the contents.

Kendall threw out muffled screams and kicked at the wet pavement but only succeeded in getting the knife pressed into his skin to leave a thin red line of blood, tears threatening to spill down his pale, hallow cheeks.

'Damn it, why does this happen to me? Oh God, please help me! Send someone, anyone, please! Don't let me die!' Kendall thought, panicking as he thought about his baby sister Katie and his mom Jen; his dad died when he was very little, leaving him as the man of the house. If he died, they would be left alone, if he died Logan would lose his best friend and the blonde would leave behind his just blooming life.

If he died, so many things would be left undone and unspoken...

No, no, no! It can't end this way, someone has to help him!

"HELP!" Kendall spat out the rag and shouted with as much vigor and pitch as he could, getting a heavy blunt to the head by the guy with the bat; blood mixed in with the rain drops in his soaked dirty blond hair and he choked on a gasp of pain, but began wriggling fiercely in a desperate attempt to fight back.

"Quit it, idiot! My friend here won't hesitate to crack your skull open!" The blue-eyed mugger hissed, his partner shaking his head as he dumped the blonde's bag and all his belongings to the wet rock below them.

"He's got nothing on him, dude. I say we just teach him a little lesson, that's what he gets for walking around dry." He said with a chuckle, stroking the bat's head almost lovingly with his free palm; the one with the switch blade smirked and nodded, pressing the steel's tip to Kendall's tongue.

"Say nighty-night, blondie." Kendall's eyes went to the sides of saucers and his pulse leaped as he prepared mentally (physically would always be impossible for him; despite his lean muscles and Hockey training, he wasn't one to easily endure pain) for the beating he was going to get now.

Nothing came though; just a yell from the guy holding the knife to his mouth, followed by the shift of weight pinning him down suddenly off and away.

"What the hell! It's Shadow!"

Shadow, the town's own mild Jason Todd? The unknown teenage crime-fighter? That Shadow?

Kendall knew of him, what kid at his school didn't? He showed up once out of nowhere and has been a hot topic for Sherwood's papers and stuff ever since then, but to see him in person, in flesh and blood...

Kendall blinked the falling water of the angry skies and growing tears from his green eyes and sat up, pressing his slender frame into the body of a lone broken street light, eyes now on the lithe form moving among the blackness and...facing off against the attackers.

The guy was around his age and taller, well-built a bit more but still graceful like an acrobat, a grace rare in a guy; he was dressed in all black, a skin-tight full body suit and boots, gloves that reached his elbows with a steel-gray belt around his waist. He wore a domino mask over his eyes with a black bandana tied around one wrist, he hunched down low as he dished out a spin-kick to knock the boy with the bat off his feet.

"Ugh, it's him alright! It's Shadow, but come on we can still take him! It's two against one!" The mugger with blue eyes protested, though his face lost all color when Shadow pounced on his partner, slammed his feet so hard into his ribs that several cracks filled the air before grabbing his head and twisting it sharply to one side, the guy groaning as he went completely unconscious to the ground.

"I say, you guys suck at being baddies, you get my drift? You sure you can handle this, kid? If you can't pull off one little assault without getting caught, then you seriously need to work on those weak reflexes, man! You're not much of a challenge, I wonder why I'm even wasting my time with you bozos when the cops can work this out themselves! You're pretty pathetic if you ask me, now go running home to mommy and forget your little plan before I get really serious with you." Shadow's low, seductive voice broke through the roars of thunder ringing in Kendall's ears, he standing over the fallen brown-haired male with arms crossed over his chest; below that black-and-white mask, a devious and confident smirk pulled at those thin, pale lips.

The blue-eyed mugger growled and clenched his fists. "You think I'm scared of a costumed freak, well think again! You're about to get you ass beaten, real bad!" He shouted, running towards the still smirking hero and thrusting fists out in a storm of punches and jabs; Shadow merely laughed as he twisted out of reach and did a back-flip over the guy's head, throwing a quick wink at a bewildered Kendall before turning on his heels and intercepting a fist aimed for his head; he faked a yawn and smirked again.

"Dude, wanna try again? That was pretty weak. Let me show you the right way to do a fight." He said simply, ignoring the other's scream as he twisted the guy's wrist, pulled him forward and launched him single-handedly to the ground; he then grabbed the guy's ankles and yanked hard until the dude's feet was on either side of his head, he choking out in ache before a kick knocked the wind of him and reached far enough to break the joint in his right hip and a bone in his spine.

As the blue-eyed male faded out to a pain-induced nap like his companion, Shadow restrained their limp arms back with handcuffs, the masked heroic devil brushing back a lock of shaggy hair from his face; it was hard to tell what color it was, but it wasn't midnight black like the night was trying to convince Kendall of.

"I swear, they just don't give up. They know they can't take me on yet still try to cause trouble on my turf, so sad and stupid aren't they? Oh well, gives me something to do with all my free time." Shadow muttered with an indifferent shrug of the shoulders, back all prostrate as he now turned to face the blonde, a thin and tight line pulling at his lips at seeing the poor, shorter and younger boy so scared and in such a sad state; blood was flowing from a bad bruise to his head, his clothes were caked with rain and mud, eyes red and puffy while his stuff was dumped all around him.

Kendall slowly squirmed out from his tight fetal position against the pole and struggled to gather his things despite the hurt vibrating off and about his thin body, yet was stopped by a gloved hand; he looked up so that his green eyes met masked ones, Shadow's facial expression hard yet soft at the same time.

"Relax, hot stuff. I got you, nice and easy now 'cause it's all over..." He assured the other, Kendall soon losing consciousness as everything he experienced in the last few minutes began to fall on him hard; all he remembered feeling was strong, warm arms embracing him, then nothing at all...

...

Kendall soon blinked his eyes wide open, confusion settling in when he saw...the ceiling of his bedroom?

"W-Wha? What happened?" He groaned as he sat up, he noticing he was in a another t-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms and nicely tucked in bed; his ruined clothes were in his laundry basket, the lights were out while the now clear sky greeted him with a nice, full moon. He was dry, a little pale and shaky but okay, and a bandage was wrapped around his left temple where the bat had kissed his skin; the red line against his neck was patched up too, his bag and belongings dry and on his desk in the right far corner of his room.

What happened? Was that...all a dream? But his stuff, the bruises he's baring, they were real.

What happened?

"Feeling better now, hot stuff? You were out for most of the run over here, was I too much to handle or something?" The suddenly greeting low, seductive voice made the finally alert blonde jump back more against his thin sheets, his eyes on a masked sixteen-year old in all black and holding a small smile for him on his thin lips.

"S-Shadow? So all of that happened, everything was real? Y-You saved me?" He choked out, blushing for some unclear reason; Shadow just chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, managed to sneak you in here after the whole ordeal without getting seen by anyone. Don't sweat it, your family's not in right now, a big plus for us since that made things easier on me on assuring your safety after what just happened. You feeling okay, Kendall?"

"Y-You know my name?"

"Duh, of course I do. We go to the same school silly, you've just never noticed me before now. So answer my question will ya, you feeling okay now or not?" Shadow said in a slightly annoyed tone of voice, arms crossed as he sat still at the other's window. Kendall, finding no more words to say, nodded numbly back. Shadow's passive face went away with another smile, uncrossing his arms as he looked out to the silent and calm night.

"That's good, it means I made it to you in time. You know, before those goons could really nail you. Don't worry about them, I've made sure to let them know not to mess with you ever again, and I left them where the cops can get them to juvie safe and sound by tonight. Well, I better head out; other people may need me, I have some patrolling to get done. Try to stay out of trouble, got me? Sleep tight, Kendall."

"Wait!" Kendall exclaimed, the masked hero pausing with the window half-opened for him to sneak out.

"What?"

"W-Who are you? You said I've never noticed you until now, so...I want to know who you are, who are you under that mask, Shadow?" The blonde said, green eyes searching that handsome masked face for any sign of change in expression; there was none, the smile still intact though now taking a sad tint.

"Like I said, some guy you have never noticed before just watching out for those who need help. Look I really need to go now, okay? Sleep tight, Kendall. See ya tomorrow at school..." With that Shadow was gone, Kendall scrambling to the window just in time to see a flirty wink thrown his way before the slender, graceful black-clad form was leaping over the rooftops and out of sight.

Kendall could have sworn...he saw familiar red-streaked chocolate hair glowing by the moon's faint rays, and a peek of hazel behind that domino mask.

"James...?"


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, just writing for 'Your Dark Knight' once again. Starting tomorrow I won't be on for a long while, so here is the newest update (poll will still be up in case people change their minds about this being a story or not) from me. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the one shot (well, it's a story now, from what I'm feeling and reading from reviews. That and I guess I have a soft spot for the BTR boys as heroes.) and now here's a new update; hope you guys like flirty!James as well as Submissive!Kendall because I like him as a cute, yet loyal flirt in stories and this is my first time writing him this way, so here we go...I had to listen to a lot of flirty/romance songs to get this in the right mood I wanted it...more Submissive!Kendall, hope that's pleasing...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...! Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...! I hope this was long and entertaining enough to keep people pleased until I return!

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The next morning Kendall found himself walking around Sherwood High School's large schoolyard alone.

The next morning Kendall found himself walking around Sherwood High School's large schoolyard alone. He had woken up early (well, earlier than normal) at the rays of the feeble sun, showered quickly and headed out on his way on foot, deciding not to call ahead and instead to surprise Logan by beating him to 1st period Chemistry. For the first time since the two have attended school; Kendall hardly ever tried to reach class on time, deciding to wait a minute or ten until the late bell was hounding his shoulders.

That was more his style anyway.

But this morning was different; he couldn't go back to sleep and instead of flopping restless around in bed, he was here to set a record in his book.

...Well, in an hour or so to surprise Logan by beating him to 1st period Chemistry, the record in his book; school wasn't to start until 7:35 A.M. Right now, it was only 5:56. Meaning almost two hours left still to wait before this barren wasteland would be overcrowded with grumpy teachers, moody teenagers and the ever-so present, yet horrible-sounding, band playing the school's confusing and long Alma Mater.

'Well, at least I now have a long while to think over...last night.' The blonde mused mentally, finally reaching the flagpole to plop down at its feet and bring his legs up to his chest; he crossed his arms over his knees and sighed, his plain purple baseball cap falling to land to the right side of him.

S-Shadow, the hero that spared his butt back there on the streets last night...

Was he James, could the brunette Kendall's been worshipping and admiring from afar since Pre-K be this town's mysterious teenage crime-fighter?

Sure, he was probably jumping to conclusions at this; he didn't get a good look at the guy's face and even though he had a low, seductive voice like James (something Kendall treasured to hear during his rare speaking up moments in class) that didn't mean he was James. Two people can have the same tone of voice, or even the same smirk, and be just that: two people, completely different and not one-in-the-same. And just because Shadow wore black and James wore black didn't mean they were the same person, just because Shadow wore a mask and James wore a pair of sunglasses didn't mean they were the same person, now those things didn't add support to the idea now forming in the blonde's head.

But still, this nagging feeling inside...

That body, graceful and ever-so perfect with lean, firm muscles; Kendall has seen muscles like those on James, heck the poet didn't take Track for nothing! He was a model in high school, a god in living flesh that made all the girls and a few guys drool and swoon over him! With those arms, those washboard abs, long runner's legs, and that nice firm bu-

Okay okay, bad thoughts! Way too bad thoughts, what was he? A little kid who's just seen the beauty of life for the first time or something?

Maybe...!

Okay, back to the points supporting his theory, alright?

Other than the similar body types (Kendall struggling to fight down his blush still) and smooth moves, there was the fact both were giant mysteries themselves! Like, James only had a certain amount of people (four, if the blonde recalls correctly) close to his sealed off heart while Shadow...Shadow only made himself public when needed! Sure those two situations were nothing alike once Kendall thought about it, but the point was that both were so unknown; James rarely showed his eyes and displayed little to no faces of emotion, was rarely seen with kids from their school and his life outside it was all foggy and unclear. Shadow, Shadow was the only name everyone knew the anti-hero by; no one has ever seen the dude in person before, or like in Kendall's case, looked him over enough to put some sort of identification to his other self. No clues, no leads to follow; both boys hid themselves away and only opened up when forced to, never because they wanted to.

That must be...really sad, to not have enough people know the real you or trust those already close to you enough to want to show them the real you.

Sometimes Kendall saw James' image at school that way: a piece of him, but not him entirely. Just a fragment or run-on, never a complete, solid sentence.

Maybe that's why poetry was so important to the brunette; it was the only way to show the real James, without having to be afraid of who-knows-what all the time. Singing and his paintings said something, his notes on the acoustic guitar spoke of many aches and a silent agony but not like his poetry could. His poetry...said more than what his art, music, and beautiful voice could ever manage to scream out.

If the brunette didn't have the writer's voice like he was gifted with, he probably would bottle up all those feelings and kill himself slowly from within that way.

'I wonder why he's like that; I wonder what makes him so scared to have his heart on his selvee...' Kendall thought with a sad smile; if he could talk to James (without making a fool of himself, of course) like they were old friends, he'd tell him nothing was wrong with wearing your heart on your selvee. It's a new actually good-for-you trend to follow, makes things easier to see in life. At least, to Kendall's opinion.

Wait, heart on your selvee!

The X James always wore on some piece of clothing on him, the X!

Shadow, being the one X of Sherwood! The anti-hero, the guy who everyone seemed to love but didn't fit in anywhere in their tiny, grapevine of a society!

Hey, another point to Kendall's "James = Shadow" theory!

James' poetry always had something to do with someone feeling as if they were in the wrong place in life; last poetry jam he got some big props for his work, how it related to everybody in their school and the stupid clichés that divided them, from the silent "emos" (Kendall thought of that as short for emotional, something not wrong in his book; in fact, it was pretty damn awesome to have touch with your feelings, thank you very much!) to the always happy, "perfect" popular crowd. He saw himself (after openly admitting it once during an Art Club meeting) as an outsider to his friends, family even the world; Shadow, he was the hero but a self-isolated hero because he stuck to the darkness which was almost always filled with emptiness and no life. He didn't belong with the populares, the "emos" or jocks, preppy and smart kids or even the Theater Club stars; he belonged...somewhere not here, somewhere that he can be himself without that domino mask or black body suit.

Both were Xs in Sherwood; meant for many things but not knowing how and when to get where they needed to go, needed to be because where they first started was the wrong place, not meant for them to start at from the beginning.

As confusing as it was, this way of thinking made sense to Kendall.

"I have ideas, but no solid proof; that's all I need, maybe catching James with the domino mask or finding the body suit in his gym locker! Something like that or whatever the universe decides to do with me in the right about Shadow and James being the same person, but I'm going to need help if I want to solve this!" The blonde hissed to himself, banging his head back against the flagpole (not caring much about the pain growing there) as another heavy sigh left him. He wasn't always good with mysteries; schemes he was all for, but Logan was the better detective.

"Estrella, are you sure you're up for school hoy?" A sweet, gentle girl's voice made Kendall blink his eyes open and look down the schoolyard's walkway, the route he took to get here just a few minutes ago.

A smile worked his lips at seeing who it was, a blush three seconds later working his cheeks when he saw who was with the girl.

Jade Lati. Or Jade Diamond now, as it was the more proper name to see her as.

Kendall knew her well from the Creative Writing Club as the student president, plus he's seen her sing along with James at dances and even performs in the school's musicals when the opportunity was offered to her.

She was a kind, sweet-hearted freshman who had the brains and drive to take the few yet still challenging college-level classes Logan had; she was fairly petite and slender, with cinnamon brown skin and long, wavy black hair that fell down the small of her back in wind-swept double pig-tails. Her eyes were wide and a sparkling, innocent emerald, face sweet with high cheekbones, delicate lashes, and white teeth in a friendly, always optimistic smile.

She was fourteen but has known Carlos, James, and James' mother Brooke since she was six; they became friends through family, though Jade's grandparents passed away five months ago both due to cancer. With no other relatives left in the world to take care of her, Brooke got the adoption papers and such done and soon took Jade in as her daughter, something which wasn't hard for James and his mom to get use to since both loved the girl to death already.

In the end, Jade had a family again and James had a new little sister; that probably made life at home easier for him to handle, since rumors had it that James lost his twin brother Shane in a car accident about two years ago while they were visiting their dad in California...

Kendall could practically feel and see the bond the two shared; Jade was the only one (besides Carlos and Brooke) that could get James to smile without it being fake in the slightest.

The two were now walking towards the back of the school, James probably walking her to the trailer where she had meetings with those in her Theater Club every morning, her arms wrapped around his left bicep tightly; it was like seeing a cute father-daughter moment from a touching family movie. James smiled and kissed her right cheek, her face flushing pink at the gesture.

"It's okay, I just had a rough night staying up studying and all. People think I'm a dead-beat idiot, doesn't mean I can't prove them wrong, baby sister." He chided with a chuckle, she giggling as well and snuggling closer to him; the cold was heavy in the mornings, her dark jeans with fluffy snow boots and blue woolen sweater over a white turtleneck proving not strong enough to fight off the chills biting at her face, and chattering her teeth. James wrapped both arms around her to share body heat, seeming to not be cold at all this morning.

Yet with the intriguing, light (and very complimenting to his figure) outfit he had on, it amazed Kendall he wasn't freezing.

Still, the blonde was a tomato in the face and praying loudly in his head for a nosebleed not to start-up.

James was wearing a tight coal black shirt that had been torn up heavily with scissors so that the selvees had large rips at the elbows and shoulder blades, the collar torn up too and patched up so that it was checkered black-and-red. The front of the shirt was shredded down the middle and patched up to copy the look of a button-up, instead of buttons though there were buckles running up it like the way of a strait-jacket. He had a mesh shirt tossed over it and a black hoodie tied around his waist, red skinny jeans with holes at the knees clinging perfectly to his legs; he had several leather bracelets on one wrist and a black choker around his swan neck. The choker had spikes as well, with two charms hanging off it: a black X and the word "Joker" in red, cursive letters. A stitching of a broken heart was on his left breast pocket, another handmade tattoo above his left brow though in the shape of a small wolf.

His hair was styled so the back fanned out and his bangs framed his face but didn't block out his hazel eyes (no, the red shades he had on today did a pretty good job of that, damn it!) while the blonde noticed the brunette had dyed black highlights to go with the red in his chocolate-brown locks.

Wow, his outfit left nothing to the imagination! Every muscle, every curve, every plane of skin was flattered to the T! The brunette didn't look hot, he looked downright sexy!

'Stop now with the naughty thoughts, Kendall! You're going to look like a ripe tomato for the rest of the day if you keep this up!' The blonde scolded himself, his bottle green eyes now the only source of bright color on his usually pale face, well other than his flaming cheeks and neck.

"But I'm worried about you, Estrella! You haven't been getting much sleep lately!" Jade's protest broke the flustered blonde from his racing train of thought, he catching sight of James' hallow cheeks pinching up under his sunglasses; his best guess was that the brunette was rolling playfully his kohl-rimmed brown eyes.

"Sweetie, don't get gray hair early worrying about me, okay? I'm fine, just dealing with junior stuff, homework and other crap. You'll deal with this too when you become a junior yourself, but I can assure you it's no big deal. I'm fine, right now the most important person to me is you." He responded, Jade looking confused but Kendall (from his new hiding spot in a nearby bush) could instantly fathom what James was referring to.

"What do you mean, hermano mio?"

"You didn't eat the breakfast I made for you this morning, Jade."

"I...I wasn't hungry." Jade said weakly, James sighing as he untied his hoodie and pulled it over the girl's head.

"Jade, I don't want you to go through the same things I did, okay? You're fine as you are and you don't have to change the shape of your body because you're healthy and sound the way you are now. There's nothing wrong with how you look, don't try to die to be thin because you are thin and it's the right kind of thin, not the negative look most people want to go for unaware of the dangers that come with it. Please, take this and eat during the meeting, I'm sure Miss Taylor won't mind." James helped Jade work her arms through his hoodie's selvees before pulling out from his bag a fresh bagel with some fruit and yogurt all packed nice and tight in an eco-friendly container.

Jade bit her lower lip and her eyes glowed with hunger as she took the meal from her brother's bigger, spidery hands; she wiped at a few tears falling down her face before looking up at James, a grateful smile on her face.

"You think I'm beautiful as I am?" He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Jade, I think you're perfect as you are. You're my little sister and I'm suppose to take care of you, like it or not sometimes. Plus, I went through anorexia and bulimia during middle school and it's hell; our bodies are gifts. We should take good care of them always, not hurt them. I love you, Mom loves you, Carlos loves you, just the way you are. Don't forget that okay, angel?"

Jade sniffed as she squeezed the older boy tightly, he smiling into her hair and rocking her back and forth gently.

"You know big brother, others think you're a bad and mean jerk but they don't know you; they don't know the sweet angel I have for a brother, te quiero mucho James." Jade said, James rolling his eyes playfully again.

"Please, angel me? I think you got me and you confused, sweetie. Either you or Carlos, I think both but I'm no angel."

"You should really take your own advice, James; you're beautiful and amazing, I don't understand why you can't see it. It hurts to know you won't accept that fact..."

"Jade!"

The two turned to see Camille and Dak from her Theater Club, smiling and waving at the Diamond siblings.

"Go on, sweetie. See you with Carlos after school, okay? Eat, remember to eat if you're hungry." James reminded her once more, pressing a kiss to Jade's forehead before sending her off to her friends with a smile; Jade nodded and smiled through a mouthful of bagel before hugging her brother quickly again and running off to meet Camille and Dak's own hugs, James' kind face going passive once she was out of sight.

"Yeah, no angel; just a guy that no one in hell nor here knows who he really is inside, yay. No one to see the real me more often..." He hissed coldly, Kendall feeling a pang of hurt in his chest; those words, they were practically bathed in venom and loathing.

"Hey, mind doing a dude a favor and coming out of that bush now? If you wanted to catch the 'Ice Prince' being all mushy, you got your wish! Now show yourself damn it, before I hunt you out myself!" James growled, back to the bush Kendall was hiding in but somehow knowing he wasn't alone.

Oh crap!

Kendall gulped and rose up from the bush, looking down with a furious blush on his cheeks and the tongue of his cap shielding his eyes.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to! I was h-here and I didn't want to intrude but I swear not to tell anyone what I heard and saw, promise!" The blonde choked out, fear and nerves shaking his usually even-leveled voice.

James had a bitter scowl twisting his handsome face as he turned on his heels to see the bastard he was going to have to beat up now ( 'cause no one but Jade and Carlos had the right to see his soft side, no one!) before class but soon his face was smooth again, mouth slightly parted in surprise to see who he was talking to.

"Oh Kendall, sorry man. I thought you were someone else, you know one of those punks that sometimes try to mess with Carlos or Jade. I didn't mean to sound so hostile, but I'm very protective with what's mine. Friends I don't have many, so I tend to guard the few I have very tightly." James said, feeling a little bad about scaring the poor cute blonde; this was so not the way he wanted his first try to talk to the green-eyed cutie to go, he really needs to learn how to control his often short temper better.

"N-No, it's okay! It was all my fault, I shouldn't have easedropped or anything close to the sort! Wait, you c-called me Kendall...?" The blonde mused, both confused and still a little shy; James raised an eyebrow at the younger boy and walked slowly forward until they were almost chest-to-chest, working a hand under the blonde's chin so that bottle green clashed with hazel brown.

Kendall blushed even more at the intense gaze on him and gasped at the touch; James' hand was firm but soft and warm, the real thing way better than what the blonde imagined over and over through the years. The brunette was even more beautiful up close, his sweet wintergreen breath blowing over his blood-filled cheeks.

"Of course I called you Kendall, that's your name. What, you think someone who's been in your classes since toddler days and who is in the same, not to mention only, Art Club here in school with you won't know your name? Ha I have to admit, you look really cute confused like that, but come on now; I may not talk much, but that doesn't mean I don't pay attention to those around me especially when they catch my interest. You're a good artist, I like your sketches and the colors you use; a real artist who loves what he does knows which colors to use, how they blend with each other and just how clear they can make the message of their art sound out to people. Let's see, you also have most of my classes and I've seen you at dances and poetry jams, so yeah I do know your name is Kendall." James explained with a shrug, chuckling again at the seeing the other's blush darken.

"I-I didn't know..."

"Ha, don't blame you. I'm not much of a big talker and really, I am sorry for yelling at you like that. Forgive me, please?" James asked, leaning closer so that if they shared another word, their lips would faintly brush; Kendall's words died on the tip of his tongue so he only nodded back, smiling a shy yet sweet smile for the taller boy.

"You sure you forgive me? I'm ready to start begging if that helps, no problem with letting my pride fall down to the seams."

"N-No really, I forgive you. It's okay, we both did something wrong but we forgived each other for it; no harm done, James."

The brunette leaned back and allowed a pout (one that made Kendall's naughty thoughts show up again and his heart beat faster) to cross his lips but soon shrugged again and smiled, this one touching his hidden eyes now; that must be a real smile, though it was hard to tell because the edges of James' lips were tight.

"Okay, suit yourself dude. By the way, why are you at school so early? I highly doubt your buddy Logan is here and it's pretty barren besides the Theater Club kids here for their usual meetings." James noted, Kendall blushing sheepishly.

"Y-Yeah well, I couldn't sleep that much last night and since it was morning already, why wait any longer for another wonderful 8-hour day of education?" The blonde replied lightly, some of his nerves fading when James gave off a teasing smirk.

"Yeah, nothing says 'Awesome!' than a day of school. Someone finally agrees with me." Kendall couldn't help the snicker that left him, his eyes going wide and blush coming back when James' smirk grew and the brunette stepped close to him again.

"So, if you don't mind me asking...mind if we hang out together this morning? To be honest, I was hoping to see you alone."

"R-Really, why James?"

James looked away briefly before sighing and giving off a smile; this smile, its corners weren't wined tightly. Well they were still tight, but not too much as if...he was letting that soft side he just shared with Jade be seen by the blonde.

"Because I've wanted to talk to you for a while now, years actually, but I've been so gutless that I've backed out at the last minute every time the chance came around. I want to get to know you, Kendall, outside of class, outside of school in general. That is, if you don't mind getting to know James Diamond without all the drama from the teachers or rumors of the grapevine." The brunette said, removing his shades and hanging them off the front of his shirt.

Those boiling, deep hazel-amber brown eyes took and devoured Kendall whole.

"S-Sure, that's cool! I mean, I've wanted to talk to you for a long time too but..."

"I scare you?" James looked genuinely hurt now; Kendall's nervous expression swiftly went into one of panic.

"N-No, that's not it! No, no, no you don't scare me! I-I mean not that you can't get scary when angry b-but, I mean...ugh! I'm messing up my words big time, aren't I?" Kendall whined while crossing his arms, James' frown vanishing with a chuckle.

"Sort of, but what you're trying to say is that I don't scare you, right? Not like Jason from those horror movies scare you, I hope...?"

"E-Exactly, not like that! You seem like a nice guy really, I don't really care nor pay attention to what people say here! I mean, who has the right to judge someone based on looks or cliché right? People nowadays focus too much on that crap, they don't see the most important thing which is how a person is inside." Kendall said, watching the other carefully as the brunette processed his words.

A pinch between the eyebrows and a chewing to his lower lip, then a smile pulled at that full, tempting mouth.

"You know, you're one of the few people I've had the honor to meet to say that and actually mean it; I can see it in your eyes, you meant what you just said, you don't put up fronts for people. You're yourself, in everything you do and say." James said, unable to not smile (for the tenth time or so?) for the younger boy.

Kendall felt his heart flutter at those words and his face burn, breathing proving to be a hard thing to do now that James placed a hand to his left cheek, the other at his right hip; the way they were talking, the body language and smiles, it was like they've been friends for years or have touched each other this easily, without fear of bothering the other, before at one point.

In fact, Kendall's skin was tingling at the other's touch; where has he felt this sensation before...?

"T-Thanks James, really."

"No problem, tiny. So, what do you want to do?"

"H-Hey, I'm not that short! I'm only two inches or so shorter than you!" Kendall protested as he faked a glare and pulled away from the other, sliding down to the flagpole again and pulling out his sketchbook and CD player.

James threw his head back in a laugh as he sat down beside the blonde with one leg tucked under him, the other stretched out to tangle with Kendall's; he took one of the ear buds and pressed it gently into Kendall's right ear, the other going into his, one of his arms wrapping around the other's waist. That arm's hand slipped into the left front pocket of Kendall's light blue skinny jeans, the other arm resting across James' lap.

Kendall had a feeling his heart was about to explode!

His skin felt on fire at the other's presence, at his closeness and his open displays of friendly affection; James looked calm, as if he did this with Carlos (which he did, though not with so much flirty intent) on a regular basis.

No wonder the guy had the school at his feet, he was damn good at turning on the charm!

"Oh, a personal sketchbook? I didn't think anyone else from Art Club did the same as me, but then again your talent lengths must follow you everywhere. Mind if I look at your art, I hate waiting until meetings to see them." James asked, he either not paying too much attention to the fact their noses brushed when he turned his head, that or he didn't notice it taking place; Kendall gulped quietly but smiled.

"You don't have to ask, James. We're Art Club members remember, and friends...?" James scoffed and rolled his eyes, his free hand leaving his lap to play with strands of Kendall's dirty blonde hair, gaze focused on those bushy but still adorable eyebrows.

"You can get rid of that questioning tone, half-pint. We're friends, new friends but friends nonetheless."

"Shut up with the height comments, Harley Quinn. And great, we're friends."

"Oh a rude boy I see, huh? I like a sassy attitude, Kenny Rabbit. We're going to get along just fine." James responded, enjoying the loud cackle (hey, a cackle is cute in his book!) coming from the blonde, their eyes soon on the sophomore's rough and a little messy but still pretty impressive work.

...He had him now.

That's it, James had him. Even though he was liking the other's company so far, he had to keep him close.

Because one little slip-up from this innocent-looking, cute blonde, and his secret could be blown for good. He had to make sure if that Kendall saw anything, he'd keep quiet.

He couldn't afford trouble; even if he was extremely fond (love is not in his vocabulary; well, not when not associated with his mom, Jade, and/or Carlos) of the blonde, his secret was too important to be let loose.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! Turns out I won't need to be gone for a long while after all, maybe updates will be off but here I present you with the next update to this new story! Well, one thing to say about the large review response for 'Your Dark Knight': I was shocked! I mean, I can't believe the new update was liked so much! There was one reviewer who expressed concern for James' other true intentions with Kendall and yes even though he has another hidden reason about why he's wanting to get close to the blonde, later he's confused by his feelings because his heart and mind cross and not in a good way, for him at least. Still overall, thank you to everyone for giving me their opinions, their encouragement, and support; I truly appreciate it. I'm not sure if this chapter is as long as the last one, but I hope it pleases everyone. For Carlos fans (myself included) he is finally in this chapter, like Jade was in the previous chapter! Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...! Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...! Hope that after the long while from this story, this makes up for my absence! Note: This chapter takes place later on in the school day!

* * *

"So you finally got the guts to talk to your crush, how exactly? Just yesterday you told me you'll graduate without telling him, all because of that stupid idea of 'being out of his league' and whatnot." Carlos Garcia asked when he met up with James outside for lunch.

He munched on his tofu turkey (sounds odd but tastes delicious) sandwich and took a tiny sip of his water, his eyes on the apple-munching brunette sitting across from him with his legs spread out in front of him on the bench he was now occupying.

James peeled at the ruby-red skin with his canines slowly, taking in the tangy rub on his tongue before sighing; his shades were back on, both to block the sun's rays and so that those around them wouldn't have the chance to sneak a look at his eyes. Well, see his eyes outside of class since he couldn't wear them during in-session school hours.

"Carlos, he may know my secret."

That alone made the shorter boy choke on his water, kind and usually smiling eyes wide while his cookies & crème skin turned bone pale.

"W-What, how? James Richard-Samuel Diamond, explain that to your best friend!" Carlos soon exclaimed when he found his voice again; James glared at him and smacked the crow-haired boy's shoulder rather roughly, the apple in his hand dripping sweet nectar to the ground as he pressed his nimble fingers against its fragile body.

"Not so loud, idiot! And don't say my whole name, you know I hate it when you or my mom do that! As for the secret bit, I think he knows or at least suspects me. 89.9 percent of my brain says that could be the case, the other percentage is left unchecked due to lack of evidence present on my end."

"Wow, that's pretty high. But how would he know? Jay, you've never talked to him before today, or ever hung out with him in a situation that would need Shadow to make the scene. How could Kendall even begin to suspect you and Shadow being the same person?" Carlos mused, still at a loss by all of this; he could guess where this was going but he needed more pieces of the puzzle to fit it all together, something James often took a while to spill.

James gave his Latino best (and only, other than Kendall now) friend a bitter grin.

"Remember I came home late from patrol last night?"

"Yeah, dude you were out until three. I had to pretend to be you studying all night in your room for Jade and Mama Diamond, but what does that...?" Carlos began to trail off as the pieces soon clicked to him and his no longer confused mind, James nodding to the silent question now clouding the other's warm cocoa brown eyes.

"Oh God, he was the one you saved from Marcus and Liam, the one you personally took charge of and made sure he was safe and sound at his house before ending patrol last night! It was him, dude!" Carlos said, James rolling his eyes playfully from under his red sunglasses.

"Yay, Sherlock Holmes solved the mystery! Yes he was the reason I was late from patrol, thanks for covering for me by the way."

"Dude, no prob; I'll always have your back, but how would that lead to him suspecting you of being Shadow? I mean, it's not like you allowed him to get a good look at you or something." Carlos pointed out, though a sheepish blush crossing James' dark cheeks made his eyebrows curve from arches to straight lines.

"James...?"

"I may have hinted to Shadow being a student here." The brunette said with a casual tone as if it was nothing; Carlos, however, looked ready to have a heart attack at a young age.

"What? How, when, why! Dude, explain 'cause I'm out of the loop again!" Carlos said, James gesturing for him to lower his voice with a firm glare and finger to his mouth; once the Latino was more relaxed, the taller boy sighed and parted his lips.

"When I got Kendall away from those idiots and took him home, he asked how I knew his name; I know, that was big screw-up on my part but I couldn't just make up any lie to distract him. He's not stupid like that ridiculous stereotype about blondes says, so I told him that Shadow, in other words me, goes to his school and is a guy he's never noticed before. Well, until that night when I rescued his hot ass from those bastards. Of course I got out of there before he could question me more, but I couldn't shake off all night the freaky feeling that's telling me he's curious to know if it's yours truly under the mask." James explained, sinking his teeth into the apple for another bite as he watched Carlos process the new information handed to him.

The shorter junior rubbed the back of his neck, a deep frown on his face now.

"But that's still not enough to say he knows for sure it's you, bro; he didn't get much out of you and he didn't see anything that points to Shadow being your alter-ego, maybe you're jumping the gun too early? Paranoia, or something like that?" Carlos knew James' natural instincts were hardly ever prone to error, but he couldn't help but think that the other was coming to conclusions with nothing to back him up. James guarded his personal and hero lives very tightly, like an obsession or lust he couldn't ignore for even a second. Maybe, just this once, he was walking the borderline of super insanity?

James swallowed the large chunk of apple in his mouth and scoffed, fiddling with the X charm hanging off his choker.

"Carlos, not to sound rude-I mean, more rude than normal, but I know I'm not crazy. At least not yet; I think he knows and I need to keep him close, make sure he doesn't say anything. Kendall is a nice guy and all, but my secret...I'm not ready to let anyone other than you know about it yet. Even if he only suspects me by five percent, that's too much of a risk for me to take."

"So, why did you let the fact that you go here slip to him in the first place then? That doesn't make any sense to me, Jay!"

"Car, I was with the guy I've had the hots for since like middle school! I have never had the guts to talk to him as me before, well until this morning, and Shadow's more confident so I went for the kill as him! Besides, I wanted to make him feel better after what those bastards did to him! He was scared so I thought if he knew someone from school was looking out for him, he wouldn't be afraid to come to class! I was trying to help, damn it! I know I'm not good at being nice sometimes, but for him I was willing to for just that one time if possible!" James shot back, pinching the skin of his nose between his free fore and ring finger.

Carlos felt guilty at seeing the other so stressed; even though James could be a jerk, he really wasn't one deep down inside. A secret like the one the brunette was hiding...it could bring a lot of trouble and risks to those he loved if exposed. Only he knew the boy behind the domino mask; Brooke and Jade were in the dark, and Carlos couldn't tell his dad because he was the head officer of the SPD (Sherwood Police Department) and didn't exactly like the mild Jason Todd crime-fighter. James was an enemy to the police because he took things into his own hands, went against them if he felt like it and didn't count on them for help; sure he caught the baddies for them and kept the streets clean, but that didn't make up for the big strain in the relationship.

The Latino rose from his seat to move next to the quietly panicking brunette, wrapping an arm loosely around the taller's shoulders. James rolled his head into the spot between Carlos' chin and shoulder, sighing dejectedly.

"James, I'm sorry. I guess I forget how much pressure is at you with all this; your family doesn't know, you only trust me because we've been friends for years and it's hard for you to open up sometimes, you have it harder than I do. Listen, if you want to really keep your secret a secret still then do it, but please be careful okay? I have a feeling that with Kendall, it will be hard for you to lie. At least, later on."

"It's okay, Carlos. I'm being the real insensitive here and I'm really sorry for yelling at you this whole time, I forget that you worry about me and I take it too lightly, like I'm not risking my life every night doing this gig; you've been like a brother to me and have kept this secret for so long, it must as hard on you not to tell your family about it as it is on me. I owe you a lot, bro, and I appreciate it really...but why do you think it will be hard for me later on to lie to Kendall?"

Carlos smiled a sad smile as his friend looked at him with a puzzled facial expression, his hazel brown eyes glowing under the dark tint of the shades.

"Because you already like him, James; you're not faking interest in him, and as time goes on and you two spend more time together alone like this morning, you're going to fall even more for him. You really, really like him now; with this, you might just fall in love with him." Carlos whispered, eyes saddening at seeing the fear and disbelief pulling at the other's lips.

"W-What? No, no, no! Carlos, the only people I can love are Jade, you, and my mom! Sure I care about my dad too, but I wasn't born to fall in love! This line of work, one slip-up and it's over! I'm not allowed to have a love life, someone to care about like that and after losing Shane...! No, you're wrong! I've kept a cool and calm head so far, I can easily keep that up with Kendall! Once I'm positive that he doesn't suspect me of being Shadow, I'll let this paranoia go and move on! I'm not letting my heart be out in the open to get hurt again, over my dead body!" James snarled, his teeth clenched and hands curled up into fists.

"So you're saying...you'll ignore and ditch Kendall after the storm blows over?" Carlos asked, knowing what he said striked a cord in the other; James' body went stiff and his growls died down to a long, pitiful whimpering.

The brunette rose to his feet and ran a hand through his hair, eyes closed behind his sunglasses as his mood went even more crestfallen.

That was an excellent question by trade; even with his feelings being real, would he really be such a monster as to hurt Kendall and throw him aside like a broken toy over keeping Shadow's real name a secret? The blonde didn't deserve that; he was sweet, cute, funny and smart, not to mention a great artist (James didn't make it obvious, but he saw the blonde's drawings of him when both were checking out his sketchbook) overall amazing person. Kendall didn't deserve that, it would crush him and James...but what other choice did the brunette have in this?

He had to choose between his heart and feelings, and his mind and thoughts; he's listened to his head for years while his heart has been numbed, drugged to silence and almost ice-cold due to his hard shell.

And...thinking through with his mind was all he knew how to do; his heart was a foreign land for him, to him it lacked organization and clarity. Thinking with one's heart, it was suicide.

"My secret, I can't let it be put at risk of being exposed, Carlos. I'm not a sinner nor saint, remember? I'm an anti-hero, and even if I am sinning it's for the best. I need to think with a clear head, someone like me isn't meant for love." Carlos shivered at the other's sudden personality change; James was gone, Shadow's crisp and professional tone lacing those knife-sharp words.

So, that was his final decision then...

"James..."

"Kendall's probably in the library with Logan, I'm going to look for him and seen just how much closer I can get to him now." With that the brunette threw his half-eaten apple away into a nearby trash can and stalked off, his shadow heavy and dark against the warm, green grass.

"Oh James, please don't do something you'll regret in the end..."

...

"So you and James are friends now?" Logan asked with a grin as he and Kendall talked quietly to each other in the school library; both were at a table all to themselves, the blonde looking from his unfinished English homework to the now no longer reading ravenette.

Kendall's cheeks flared a bright crimson but a soft smile touched his lips, bottle green eyes sparkling.

"Y-Yeah, we're getting to know each other better and stuff, but yeah we're friends now. I swear my heart exploded when he asked me that, you know to hang out, and I was a blushing idiot the whole time we were together; he's very touchy-feely and stuff so..."

"That's pretty good though, Kendall! It means things are going at a slow but reasonable pace! Most people call him a playboy or something but from what I saw this morning, he looks more like a harmless flirt. It's nice to see you're fighting for what you want dude, about time." Logan whispered back, chuckling at seeing Kendall's embarrassed look.

"Dude, shut up! What about you and Carlos, huh? I saw you and him leave your car, together and talking! Hiding something, Logie-Bear?" The blonde pointed out, a little upset inside at seeing Logan's grin not faltering at his comeback.

"K-Dog, I just gave him a ride to school because James wouldn't pick up his phone and his car is still being fixed at his mother's best friend's body shop. The four of us live in the same neighborhood, remember? So I pulled up at his house and offered, he accepted and we got here together. Nothing out of the usual, you know I'm always willing to help anyone out." Logan said, though he got slightly nervous at Kendall's smirk.

"Logan, really now don't try that with me. I'm your best friend, remember? You like-like Carlos, so you totally enjoyed the car ride with him! Your smile said it all, and if it helps he was blushing, so that means he could be liking you back!"

"Did you really just say 'like-like'? Dude what are you, three?"

"No matter what you say, you know it's true: you like Carlos Garcia."

"Shut up, dude! The walls have ears!" Logan scold the blonde, glaring hotly when all he got was a silent cackle back.

Kendall hushed his cackling and was about to put in more when two hands fell over his green eyes, a low seductive voice ticking the shell of his left ear.

"Guess who, Kenny Rabbit?"

Kendall's cheeks flushed red again at the nickname and Logan coughed back a snicker, smiling brightly though as he rose to his feet and turned to see James in all his red-and-black glory.

"I knew it was you, James."

"How, was it by the cologne I'm wearing? Maybe you heard the charms on my choker make music with each other?"

"Close but no, I recognized your voice. That, and because you're the only person who calls me 'Kenny Rabbit'." Kendall said, trying (and failing) to ignore Logan in the background while the brunette gave him his signature dazzling smile.

The brunette placed his hands on the blonde's slender hips and nuzzled his nose fondly, not minding the audience to this; with Logan near, the task got both easy and hard. The ravenette wasn't one to make accusations without support to back him up, but that didn't stop him from being the one person Kendall could confide his run-in with his alter-ego last night to.

An advantage and disadvantage, all in one.

"I see, silly me I let myself get caught. Oh well, I'm just here to give you something I forgot earlier; it's nothing big but I hope it strengths our friendship-relationship more. Well see ya later, okay Kenny Rabbit? Catch you later Logan, was nice seeing ya too." The taller boy pressed a folded up sheet of paper into Kendall's left, thin pale hand before ruffling his hair and turning on his heel out the library's double doors; he threw a wink at the blonde over his shoulder, grinning to himself when the other just smiled shyly and waved.

"What does the note say?" Logan asked when the blonde sat back down, though from the blush and smile on Kendall's face, he could tell it was some very good news.

_Here's where to find me, stop by anytime you want. I think you know where it is, but just wanted to make sure you were well taken care of; my number's here for you too. Hope to see you at my doorstep one of these days, Kenny Rabbit._

_-J, your Joker. _


	4. Chapter 4

Hey! Okay I know people are probably wondering if I'm going crazy with updating 'Your Dark Knight', and the truth is that I am; I have so many hopes and ideas for this story that they don't leave me alone, so instead of bottling them up inside I write them down into a new chapter! Oh, has anyone seen the new (well recent, better to say) Batman movie? I did and loved it so much, he's one of my heroes! I loved him and Robin, they are so awesome! Okay, enough of my random bit, time for a new chapter! Thank you everyone for reviewing my work; I'm happy I don't have to leave for a long while too, so here's a new update in appreciation and thanks to all of you! Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...! Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...! This chapter is short and kind of a filler of sorts, but I hope it's still good! Oh, and a new OC (don't worry, he will not be an obstacle in the Kames romance) is introduced in this chapter! I really like him, because I think he shows a softer side to James' "enemy" connections with the police! Oh forgot to mention last chapter, italics represent notes written on paper or texts!

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That night Kendall stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom, eyes sometimes straying to the closed window.

It was like...he was expecting something, or someone, to show up at the glass and visit him.

Sure it was a long shot, Shadow probably had a lot of other people to care for and save...yet the blonde couldn't break apart this wave of hope inside, a wave of hope that only the masked crusader's presence could tame to more calmer waters.

A wave of hope, to see the person who rescued his ass and didn't ask for a damn thing in return. A wave of hope, to somehow someway meet that mysterious person again and thank him with full words for what he did, because it was not his obligation to help but he chose to do so anyway; someone so selfless, so fearless deserved to be thanked in any way possible to the human mind because nowadays, people don't really offer help unless there was something in it for them.

'Ugh, why am I losing sleep over this? He's a hero, heroes tend to have busy schedules and plus if he's a student like he said, he's probably catching Zs now for school tomorrow.' Kendall mused in his head, turning to his bedside table to tap in his phone's password and check the time; 11:30 blared in a bright light from the digital clock, only minutes left until midnight.

Great, tomorrow was almost here and he was wide awake; no tiredness itched at his green eyes, meaning he was having one of his insomnia episodes. When that happened (rarely, yet when they did come around the poor blonde didn't sneak a wink) he was in for a long night.

"What do I do now? Wait, James' number..." Kendall glanced at the scrap of paper tucked under his reading lamp with a torn expression; should he call the brunette, just because he couldn't sleep and wanted some company? The junior had more things to deal with than he did, so any precious free time ruined could get the older boy angry with him. Plus James was a pretty boy, and pretty boys needed their beauty sleep.

Still...

Kendall's heart won over his common sense; he swiped his phone off the table and saved James' number under his contacts list. With trembling, pale fingers he tapped the small keyboard several times to get what he wanted to say clear in the text, checking for errors (he was a grammar snob deep down; blame being good at English, even if he didn't always finish his homework on time) three times over before hitting the send button.

He balanced the phone on his lap as he sat up and stretched his long arms above his head, his heart thumping in pleasant anticipation when a sound and vibrating sensation went off against his legs; huh, maybe the other was awake after all?

_Hey Kenny Rabbit, what are you doing awake? Oh, that means Sleeping Beauty is free from the spell! But wait, who got you awake? Wait you thought about me, didn't you? You thought about me and that woke you up, I always knew my hypnotizing charms were more powerful than some dumb spell!_

_-Joker._

Kendall blushed bright red at the comment, rolling his eyes before thinking up a response; he switched his reading lamp on so that the lack of light around him wouldn't damage his eyesight, pulling his knees up to his chest.

_Ha, very funny James. Sorry about waking you, but I'm having an insomnia episode and felt lonely. And I'm not Sleeping Beauty! That's so you, pretty boy! Besides, there's a lot of guys that I can imagine as possible Prince Charming matches! Not sure if you're one of them, though!_

_-Kenny Rabbit_.

Kendall nearly jumped at the instant response as he snuggled closer into his pillows, though did he mind at all talking to the boy of his dreams? Nah, not one bit!

_Aw, I'm honored you thought of me to make you less lonely! And don't sweat it, I was already awake before you texted me; I'm a chronic insomniac by nature so you weren't bothering me. Just reading a book, you know the usual for me to make time go by faster. Ouch, you offended me in that last bit! Am I not cute enough to be your Prince Charming?_

_-Joker._

Wow, this conversation was making the blonde turn red as a tomato; just how did their topic of choice turn out to be this, so awkward (not in a bad way!) and embarrassing? Just how did they find this so amusing, so funn-

Wait, "Don't sweat it"...

James just said that, and now that Kendall thought about it, Shadow said the same thing last night after getting him home safely.

Before he could process it, Kendall's text was all ready for reading.

_James, what do you think of Shadow...?_

_-Kenny Rabbit._

A few minutes passed, nothing; after what felt like forever, Kendall's phone went off.

_The anti-hero of our little town? Well...I can't say much since I haven't paid attention to stuff about him on the news or what's floating around the school's grapevine but from the people I've heard talking about him, they say he's cool. Big mystery right, since no one knows who he really is? Why do you ask, Kenny Rabbit? You have a crush on him or something?_

_-Joker._

No sign of fear or hesitation, all calm and collected like a quickly written script; maybe he was wrong about James being Shadow?

Or...the brunette was just good at hiding things.

_No, what makes you say that? Silly James, I was just curious about what you thought of him; it's a mix at school, some like him and some hate him. So, you don't know much about him?_

_-Kenny Rabbit._

The break between the time the text was sent and replied to was shorter this time.

_No, he doesn't really catch my attention. I mean sure it's cool he helps out and all that, but other than that I don't really notice much about him. Listen, I should really try to get some sleep now, okay Kenny Rabbit? I have a big test 2nd period that I can't afford to mess up, French is my best subject but I can fail something when running low on the sleep tank. Sweet dreams, Sleeping Beauty._

_-Joker._

And just like that, Kendall was alone again; why did the brunette react that way? Could it be that...?

"He's Shadow? No, I still don't have solid proof and I was so caught up in telling Logan about this morning that I forgot to mention last night! Damn it, James and his charms have me all mixed up! Still, the fact that he says the same phrases as Shadow can be considered as some important clues; it's not much, but it's the only lead I have for now. Okay that's it, tomorrow morning I'm talking to Logan about this! The sooner I clear up the doubts, the better! Besides, he's the better detective..." Kendall whispered under his breath, sighing dejectedly once to himself before turning off his lamp and disappearing under his thin sheets.

Just a little more restlessness to handle, and then he will soon have help to solve the mystery torturing him.

...

'Damn it, he catches on faster than I thought! I'm going to have to come up with my next step soon!' James cursed mentally as he dropped his cell-phone into one of the slots in his utility belt and pressed the trademark domino mask over his hazel brown eyes; he was James Diamond no more, Shadow once again.

He sighed as he jumped off the roof he was perched on and slid down a nearby street light, crossing his arms and glaring hotly down at the pale-faced, trembling crooks he nabbed trying to rob a gas station all tied up and squished down on the curb.

"I swear you guys are horrible at this! Too easy for me, how about actually trying me for a challenge? Oh well, can't say I expected such from a tiny, quiet town like this. At least I get some fresh air out of this gig."

"Caught the baddies before us again, Shadow? You'll put us out of business if you stick around."

The black-clad crime-fighter smirked at the new voice, his hidden eyes now on the newcomer only a few feet away, right under the shade cast by the street light.

"Hey Damian, nice to see ya around here. How's life treating my favorite case-cracker tonight?" Shadow mused playfully, the other male grinning and rolling his eyes.

Damian Raine was the only officer of the SPD who didn't hate Shadow; a twenty-five year old hotshot who was the best and brightest (and youngest) detective on the force, Damian showed respect when needed in his favor but wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Also, like Shadow, Damian wasn't afraid to take risks and go about things his own way. Due to the similar way of thinking between the two and the fact Damian himself knew what it was like to been seen as an inferior by those with supposedly more experience in this field than him, the two shared a strong (yet top-secret) brotherly friendship-relationship.

Damian rolled his bright blue eyes and crossed his arms, he wearing a simple gray zip-up jacket with dark jeans and white sneakers in place of his usual black button-up with pressed slacks and polished shoes.

"Fine, just got off duty actually. So, should I give Officer Garcia the heads-up to have his men pick these guys up and off your hands?" Damian asked, one hand gripping his walkie-talkie while the other ran through his hair; it was a dark brown and fairly short, shaved at the sides and back while the top was shaggy with weak spikes like a punk buzz-cut.

Shadow chuckled with a soft smile on his lips; even if he never said it out loud and in front of him, he was grateful to have Damian as a friend. The dark-haired male didn't know a thing about his other identity sure, but knowing that at least one person on the SPD saw him as another fighter against crime instead of an enemy was good enough to be friends with in his book. Plus, Damian reminded him so much of Carlos in a way, because of how both looked out for him and were always willing to help him in any way within their capabilities.

"Nah, I'm sure they'll pick up the trash first thing later tonight. For now, I'll leave them here all nicely tied up to get another round of patrolling the town in." The brunette responded, Damian laughing slightly at the bored look on the other's face; looks like tonight was a slow night for the mild Jason Todd of Sherwood.

"You must be nocturnal or something, Shads. Do you ever rest?"

"Nah bro, in this line of work resting is so not an option. Besides, I need something to get my mind off other stuff clogging up my brain."

"Really, love troubles perhaps? You finally found someone?" Damian asked, Shadow faking a laugh at this.

"Dam, I don't have time for stuff like that. That's more up your alley, how's Joslyn doing by the way? You two okay still?"

"Ha, yeah we're great and still going strong. He's doing very well in medical school, it won't be long now before he's a certified nurse."

"I'm happy for you, really I am. It's good to know one of my best friends is happy, that's all a guy could ever want for them. Well like I said before, I want to get another patrol in before I call it a night. On second thought, get Officer Garcia over here to pick up these idiots; we don't want them getting a chance to run off." Shadow said, Damian nodding with a parting smile before the hero disappeared before his eyes, he moving to get the unconscious crooks off the street.

"You do a great job, Shadow; even if the SPD thinks you're trouble, you're just what this town needs to keep it clean. You're no anti-hero like you claim to be, you're a hero in every sense of the word. There's nothing bad about you, nothing bad about you at all..."


	5. Chapter 5

Hello. There's a few things I need to attend to for the next few days (not going away for a long while, just need to figure some things out) so here's a new chapter of 'Your Dark Knight'; thank you to the reviewer from last chapter and the new followers and who were kind enough to favorite this story, it makes my heart warm up to know my work is liked (as strange as it sounds to my ears)...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...Note: This chapter is fairly short and takes place the next morning-Kendall is in for a lot...

* * *

"Man, morning came by so fast..." Kendall muttered under his breath as he checked his reflection in the hallway mirror before slipping out the front door and locking it behind him with his spare house key; his mom Jen left early for work and since Katie didn't have school today, the small girl was still upstairs asleep.

Lucky her; Kendall felt as dead and alert as a zombie.

He really wished he never had to go through insomnia episodes.

"Well at least if I sprint to school, I should get a table for me and Logan to talk at privately; I need his opinion on this, about Shadow and James being the sa-"

"Morning, Kenny Rabbit! Oh, don't you look cute today? Then again, you're always cute to me."

The blonde blushed and his back went prostrate as he turned from the door to see James leaning against a shiny, large midnight black pick-up truck, arms crossed with a light smile on his soft lips. He looked at ease, as if he didn't just surprise the sleeplessness out of the shorter, younger boy in front of him.

"J-James, you're here?" Kendall asked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and trying to fight the blush burning hard his no longer pale face. The brunette's smile morphed into a smirk as he nodded, his arms now at his sides and soon jingling his car keys on one, spidery finger.

"Yeah, Carlos told me about Logan giving him a ride to school yesterday and so I thought, if he lived in the same neighborhood as us, you did too. Did I scare you, Kenny Rabbit? I just wanted to see you; I missed you yesterday after classes and with the way I acted during our chat, I wanted to find a way to make it up to you..." The junior admitted, looking down at his shoes.

Kendall wasn't scared to see him; even though most people would think it was a stalker's move to show up at someone's house without knowing the address, the blonde felt extremely flattered instead of fearing for his life. He felt flattered the brunette cared so much about him, he seemed to have a very genuine interest in him by the way he was behaving towards him.

Still, the blush didn't leave the blonde's face for two reasons.

The first reason, was that James was smiling warmly at him, as if he was the most beautiful and amazing person he's ever seen. And that was far from what Kendall was feeling about himself right now; in one of his usual plaid shirts (today's being a dark blue that brought out his green eyes nicely)and worn out blue jeans, blue-and-black striped sweater, comfortable Vans and a white beanie tossed over his still wet, shaggy dirty blonde hair, he didn't feel so beautiful or amazing in the slightest.

Yet, James' stare said the complete opposite without the need for weak, human words. That look of longing, of affection and admiration was one the sophomore wasn't use to getting, especially from hot older guys like James; it made him feel a little shy, yet at the same time a sight to die for.

The second reason for his lasting blush, however, was because James was wearing leather.

As in, all leather; everywhere was leather, the only non-leather item on him being the lucky woven bracelet he always wore around his left wrist.

The brunette was standing before him in tight, dark purple leather pants; they clung to his legs nicely, outlining the curves of his runner's muscles. His shirt wasn't leather (though the material looked close to it) and was a black tank top that hugged his toned torso, a dark purple leather jacket tossed over it. He had on a black belt through the hoops of his pants, it simple while black boots were at his feet. The red-and-black highlights were gone from his chocolate-brown locks, though the ends of his bangs were now a dark purple; his black shades were hanging off the front of his shirt so his kohl-rimmed hazel eyes were exposed in the bright sun, his wolf tattoo from yesterday gone to be replaced with one of a purple moon at his left cheek. His wasn't wearing spiky wristbands or a choker today, but instead had a black earring in the shape of an X in his left ear.

Oh God, did this boy have to dress so mind-numbing all the time? Did he do this to make the poor blonde look like a ripe tomato every time they were together?

Dang it, the heat was still sizzling his thin cheeks!

"Kenny Rabbit, you still there? Kendall?" James asked with concern, approaching the blonde and reaching out to stroke his heated face with one hand; the blonde gulped as green clashed with brown.

"Y-Yeah, it's just a little warm out here is all. Nothing big, ha." He chided with a weak laugh, James raising a slender eyebrow at him.

"You sure, you seem flustered. Are you sick, maybe you should go back to bed and rest?" And miss a day with Mister Tall, Dark and Handsome? Hell no, not if the blonde could do something about it! Plus, he still needed to talk to Logan about Shadow.

"N-No, it's just that the AC is on high in my house so when I go out, I feel warm! It's no big deal James, really! Besides, I'd rather be with you than in bed." Kendall explained, smiling shyly when the brunette chuckled and cupped his face with both hands now, the blonde sighing with a soft closing of the eyes when warm, gentle lips tickled his nose.

"I really like your company too, Kendall. In fact, I can't believe I've been without it for all these years, stupid me..." Kendall smiled but gasped again silently when the taller boy embraced him suddenly, he feeling James' nose breathe in the scent of his soft skin; his arms wrapped around the other's broad shoulders, a pink streak crossing his face when James sighed in content.

"J-James?"

"Sorry, Kendall. I don't know why...but I feel happy when around you. I'm not my usual sad and miserable self when with you; you're like medicine for my soul or something, sorry if I sound really corny but it's the truth. You make me feel better and I'm sorry for shutting you out like that last night, or better to say earlier today. I guess your question caught me off guard, because not many people care about my opinions. Jade, my mom and Carlos sure, but rarely others outside them want to know how or what I think so you caught me off guard there. But again I'm very sorry, if I hurt your feelings trust me I didn't mean to, hurting you on purpose is something I...I'd hate to be guilty of."

Kendall was stunned into silence at the other's words, more when James leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to his left, burning cheek.

Kendall pressed his hands over James' chest, looking down with a shy smile playing with his mouth.

"I swear, you are the sweetest person I know. Sappy yes, but really sweet. And it's okay, sure I felt a little hurt but knowing you came here to see me and make sure I was okay...that says a lot to me, James. Thanks, really for making me feel so special." He responded, blinking back tears; oh great, he was being more emotional than usual, stupid feelings and their side-effects!

Still, it didn't mean he didn't like feeling this way; on cloud nine, so light and happy.

James smiled as he pulled the shorter boy to his chest in another full hug, pulling away slightly so that their eyes met again.

"You know, on second thought I don't mind sounding corny if it's with you, you're so worth it." He teased, taking his sunglasses and perching them on top of Kendall's head. The green-eyed boy laughed at this, arms still around James' neck as the brunette held him by the waist.

"So I get to see James all corny when I want to, just me? Wow, I must be really special now!" Kendall exclaimed, expression going from amused to shocked when...James pressed a quick kiss to his lips; it was light and faint, it could have been to the blonde's imagination.

But it wasn't; his lips were still tingling from the touch, the sensation thick even if the kiss had been everything but firm.

"So, ready to go? I'll give you a ride to school, Kenny Rabbit." James said with a wink, his face betraying not a single speck of emotion from the deed he just committed; his smile and faint (very faint, but still there!) blush on his dark cheeks other said otherwise.

Kendall was sure his face was the same color as he nodded shyly and looked down, his heart thumping fast and hard in his chest as he felt James lace their fingers together as he led him to his car.

Oh boy, this was getting serious and deep so fast; They've known each other for years and have been friends for only two days, but this was something else entirely.

It wasn't just a flirty friendship anymore. Kendall was feeling something raw yet pure, suffocating yet liberating, something that scared him a little but made feel more confident of himself at the same time.

This feeling...was it love? Not puppy love, but real love like in those old romance stories?

This feeling of trust, hope, this feeling of finally feeling complete after so long of being a lonely half alone in this crazy world...

This feeling, it made one of them giddy like there was no tomorrow, but brought well-hidden bouts of guilt and shame to the other...


	6. Chapter 6

Oh, sorry about this: I had two chapters written fresh for 'Your Dark Knight' but only put up chapter five by mistake; forgive this author's forgetful mind so, yet I hope this chapter is good like I feel the last one was. This one focuses a bit more on Carlos, with a small side of Cargan, and explains a little about how James became Shadow. Please if my dear readers can, please put in your vote for my latest poll. I know some people like Submissive!Carlos and others Submissive!Logan so if you can, please vote which you prefer so I know what everyone likes and how I can corporate that into the story; the opinions of my readers/reviewers mean a lot to me, so whatever pointers you can give me to what floats your boat will be heavily appreciated. Well, that's it for my little note, here's another chapter ready for reading (wow, three updates. I'm doing good so far.)...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...Note: This chapter is fairly short like the last one, I think, but I also think it's important to know what events had James take on a crime-fighting alter-ego...

* * *

Shadow was born for a reason all those months ago, a reason only Carlos had a clear idea about.

After all, he was the only person who knew his best friend's well-guarded secret and has kept it safe for so long, but he also knew the big reason behind the domino mask and mysterious other self of James Richard-Samuel Diamond.

It was the only way James could deal with the agony inside him, his one big issue in the dark.

Note it wasn't three or four causes of his pain; only one major cause tortured him so, only one kept him awake late at night and thus over time, created Shadow.

No, not his issues with trusting the police or letting out the real him, no those had nothing to do with Shadow's birth.

Shadow was born out of James' anger, of his self-frustration.

His self-frustration, for not being able to save his brother Shane from death.

He blamed himself, even though he was the baby brother and circumstances that day prevented him and his mother from changing the fate of his deceased twin; that car accident, to James the person responsible for it was him. He failed to save his brother and protect his mom from that bastard, the bastard that committed a hit-and-run offense and left his brother to die and him and their mother Brooke to rot with scars and heavy burns on the street.

Since that day, James wasn't the same.

He was angry, he hated the world, he shunned those around him and sealed his heart off so no one could touch it.

Since that day, James was a bitter, cold shell of his former self. Even with the passing of two years, that agony inside the brunette was like an enemy under his skin, wanting nothing more than to see him bleed.

He felt like a failure in his father's eyes, and he felt like a failure in sparing Shane's life.

Then, Shadow was born.

He didn't start off as a thought or dream, more like an animal instinct that James didn't know existed. Until one night, when he looked at himself in the mirror and hated what he saw; a baby brother alive, but without his big brother at his side with a smile on his face.

He had growled and smashed his reflection.

Among the broken shards, he saw white eyes staring up at him; eyes with no soul, no heart but a mind focused on dark vengeance. A mind with eyes filled with nothingness, only driven by rage and sadness. Among the broken shards, he saw the darkness that every human being has at the back of their hearts; he saw the lust to bring justice, to prove that one could change the world if one had the want to.

Shadow only wanted to keep the streets clean, spare innocent lives and change the fates of those he could.

He wanted to help and keep people safe, like James couldn't do for Shane.

He wasn't evil, vile or cruel; he was human after all, despite his tries to cut off all emotion to his face. He wasn't cruel or evil or vile, but he showed no pity for those who sinned.

Like the bastard now rotting the rest of his years away in jail for killing his only brother, he did not show pity for those who hurt others. To him, they had to pay the price for their actions.

In a way, Carlos saw Shadow as a safety crutch for James.

Shadow was the cold, calm face James used to hide the fact he was a small, still sobbing boy cowering in the gloom; afraid to face reality alone, afraid of the world and deciding to reject it to escape that fear. He was so dominated by that face, no by that alter-ego he created from the ashes of his pain and blood.

He once self-mutilated to free that pain, to free the blood of misery he felt choked him like a noose around the neck. He once carved into himself to free that pain but the pleasure lasted short like the blow of a crowbar to the head; those days of scars were behind him, because Shadow took that misery and anger and worked it out somehow, a way James did not know of before he took on his other self.

He was a safety crutch for James; the brunette would surely fall if his other self ceased to exist.

But...at the same time, Shadow was a poison all on his own to Carlos' best friend.

Because of Shadow, James locked himself away.

He saw his real self as weak, as pathetic and unable to keep up a fight much less start and finish it in the end; he was made of stone, he knew nothing of having a heart or feelings.

He only had a calculating mind; all organization and structure, something feelings and the heart lacked in. With the heart, emotions could get mixed up and make you take risks you wouldn't think of if using a clear head. Shadow planned everything without batting an eye in fear or nerves, he smirked but no humor was in it or laughed without real intentions to do so.

He was a puppet; no life, no voice, nothing but whatever a person worked into him. In this case, what James worked into him.

Only anger and misery, that was all Shadow really knew.

And because he only knew those things, his identity was a danger. A danger to society and to himself.

Because really, how can someone who knew only anger and misery be easy to understand to the world?

James wasn't James when he became Shadow; he had no smile, no emotion to his face or light in his eyes. Shadow was a persona that...Carlos was scared was taking over James, becoming his face now instead of the mask he could easily take off when he wanted. Shadow wanted no one to know who his other self was and James served him well, he allowed no one to even suspect them of being one-in-the-same.

So when James had his suspicions of Kendall, Shadow panicked.

The two as one person only trusted Carlos with the secret, no one else; Carlos was the only one meant to know about the secret, and now Kendall Knight, the boy James had feelings for, was an obstacle in Shadow's way.

Because James was so in tune with his alter-ego, he felt like he had to serve him to the T. And Shadow felt threatened by the fact the sweet blonde was on to him, so if he was in danger...James was too.

Both were in danger of instability; both were unstable emotionally, mentally from the wounds of Shane's death remaining unhealed.

They needed love, affection, warmth, things Carlos knew Kendall could give them but...not if James didn't accept him into his head, accept him into the secret of him and Shadow.

So as the crow-haired Latino watched the two leave the brunette's car hand-in-hand, his smile was true but his stomach in aching knots.

Who was smiling right now, at Kendall's side? Was it James...or Shadow?

"I guess we're on our own now, huh?" Logan's voice broke his train of thought, he looking at the taller brown-eyed boy standing beside him in the middle of the schoolyard; he must be referring to how couple-like their friends were acting.

He sighed and nodded, trying to keep his smile in place for the pale-faced genius.

"Yeah, I'm happy for them but now feel like a third wheel. Well at least they're happy, right?" He mused, leaning into Logan's shoulder with a faint blush on his cheeks; Logan went stiff for a few minutes before he hugged him with one arm tightly to his side, rubbing his elbow in a soothing motion.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm here."

"Actually that does, thank you. You're right, we have each other so everything should be okay." Carlos replied, though he swallowed hard when he noticed a dark flicker in James' strangely warm gaze. He was kissing Kendall bye for now, saying he had to go find Jade to walk her to class like he promised her, the blonde blushing and muttering about seeing him later during lunch.

That flicker, that streak of dark light in his friend's brown eyes. The fact that he was making up a lie to part from Kendall, the fact his expression was slowly going passive and unfathomable, the fact he was fiddling with the gym bag that carried his domino mask and black body suit.

Oh no!

It was...Shadow! Wait, no it was James right now! Right, it was him with Kendall?

Or...has his friend's obsession reached the point where both could be present at the same time? Was he seeing both Shadow and James, at the same time, without the secret identity and mask?

'No, he's going to make his move now.'


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, I promise this is the last chapter I put up for 'Your Dark Knight' for today; I have so much time on my hands this fine day (strange since I've had a lot to do lately) that I don't know what to do but to write more for this story. Plus, I noticed the last chapter's ending was a cliffhanger and those aren't so nice to deal with because you're left with the curiosity about what could happen next, and it can drive someone crazy (it does that for me at times). So, here's a new chapter; I fixed up the errors in the last recent chapters so they're more properly polished, forgive me for my foolishness. Oh, and I promise to make it clear in future chapters when referring to James and Shadow as two different personalities in one body; I felt bad about confusing some of my kind reviewers so I will try my best to make things clear as possible but not give away hints for later in the plot. Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...I thank you all again for those who reviewed, reading the kind and intriguing feedback connecting well with the story makes me feel like I'm a good job writing a new type of AU Kames story for me...Note: You will see just how James and Shadow are separate in ways of thinking in this one, and just how serious his obsession with his other self is...

* * *

"So, you and James have advanced to the next level huh?" Logan asked his blonde best friend as they sat bored out of their minds during Home Room; he chuckled at seeing Kendall's pale peach skin turn a lovely shade of red at his question, though the smile on the other's lips gave him the hint he hit the mark head-on.

"Well we kissed outside my house for the first time, and he asked me to be his boyfriend while we were on the way here so yeah. Yeah, we're boyfriends now!" Kendall exclaimed in a low, yet energetic voice.

Logan grinned and clapped his friend on the back.

"Kendall, I'm proud of you. Nice to see you have your own little protector and stuff." At that Kendall's smile fell, a thought that he had this morning now resurfacing to the front of his mind.

"Logan, there's something I want to talk to you about. About James, and...Shadow." He began slowly, watching the other's mocha brown eyes; Logan's eyebrows pinched up in confusion and concern, one arm going around the blonde's shoulders in a loose hug.

"Kendall, what's wrong? Did James do something, and what does Shadow have to do with what you want to talk about?"

"Well, it's this. First off, no James has done nothing wrong; he's like the perfect boyfriend, even if we haven't been dating for that long. He's sweet and nice, not to mention funny and super smart. But the thing is...I didn't tell you this before, but about two nights ago I got jumped while walking home from school."

Logan's expression read horror now, Kendall trying to keep the other from freaking out in middle of class by patting his back carefully.

"W-What, you got jumped! Are you okay, why didn't you tell me about this sooner, Kendall? Wait, you said something about Shadow; did he save you, is that why you seem completely unharmed? Though I can guess you didn't sleep well last night since you have bags under your eyes, another insomnia episode no doubt."

"Logan, Logan, Logan! Calm down, just listen for now! Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you; I was going to the morning after the assault and all but it kept slipping my mind, I'm sorry. Second I'm okay, the worst I got out of those jerks was a blow to the head from a baseball bat and a few scratches. And yeah, Shadow saved my ass before things could get even uglier. I'd be in the hospital in really bad shape right now if he didn't show up when he did." Kendall explained, Logan keeping his mouth shut to take in everything he was hearing, nodding to prove his undivided attention.

"Wait, baseball bat? Liam is the star of our baseball team and he's out of school right now; now that I think of it, there was a report on the news two days ago about two teenagers getting sent to juvie after almost beating the heck out of someone to rob them. Liam's out of school and he's part of the baseball team, not to mention Marcus is out of school too; those two are the biggest jerks on campus, but they're best buds and all too."

"Which means, they're the ones who tried to beat the crap out of me that night. They were trying to rob me and almost killed me on the spot when they couldn't get anything out of me. But Shadow showed up, got them all knocked out and on the SPD's front steps." Kendall picked up where Logan left off, though he paused at seeing a lost flicker in the other's dark eyes.

"But Kendall, what does James have to do with this? I mean, was he with you when this happened or something?"

"No...I'm trying to say that, I think Shadow and James are the same person."

Silence was heavy between them, before Logan started to snicker to himself; Kendall shot him a heated glare.

"What's so funny?"

"S-Sorry, Kendall! I'm sorry, but James and Shadow being the same person? It's not possible, they're so different! I mean I've never met Shadow in person before, but James cannot be him! James is quiet and a little of a loner, while Shadow's got a lot of self-confidence and is way too smug! Besides, no one knows how Shadow looks like under his trademark domino mask! What makes you think your boyfriend and Sherwood's own Jason Todd are one-in-the-same?" Logan mused, crossing his arms over his fit chest.

Kendall took a few minutes to gather up his ideas and overall theory, taking a deep breath before parting his lips to speak.

"Well, Shadow's tone of voice is the same as James'. Both have a low, seductive tone and Shadow doesn't try to change how his voice sounds when he talks; it's always the same pitch, even if I've only met him face-to-face once. That, and because his choice of words. He says, 'Don't sweat it' like Shadow, though he hasn't called me anything so far but 'Kenny Rabbit'. Shadow kept calling me 'Hot stuff' when we were together, the nickname trend makes me think they're the same person as well."

"Kendall, a lot of people can sound the same; voices are just voices, that doesn't mean they can always help identify a person. If you had some fingerprints or a lock of hair from Shadow, you would probably have solid ground to build your theory on." Logan pointed out, though the blonde wasn't about to give in.

"Logan, I'm 99.9 percent sure I saw Shadow's hair as brown. His hair is brown, so are his eyes."

"Did you see his eyes from a good angle? Was the mask off?"

"No, he still had his mask on."

"So, you can't say for sure his eyes are brown like James'. Also, James isn't the only guy in Sherwood with brown eyes, I have brown eyes too remember? And as for the brown hair idea, Kendall it was dark when he rescued you; some colors aren't clear without some sort of light exposing them enough."

"Logan, when I'm with James I feel the same tingling, secure sensation I felt with Shadow that night! It's this feeling in my stomach, it's telling me that James is Shadow and I don't think it's wrong! I know it sounds far-fetched and all, but it's something deep inside telling me this and I can't just bluntly ignore it! Plus, James acted all weird when we talked about Shadow earlier this morning! He avoided saying much about him, then shortly cut me off after that! What more can I give you to support my theory, Logie?" Kendall protested, Logan sighing and rubbing a hand to his left temple.

"Okay, I won't argue with you. If you really think James is Shadow, then how about uncovering some evidence to prove you're right? I mean, it's a pretty big accusation that you're making here. Shadow is like a criminal to the police, have you talked to James about this little idea of yours?" Logan asked, attitude now seeping into detective mode; Kendall shook his head, biting his lower lip lightly.

"No, I haven't; I don't want to accuse him of something, then turning out to be wrong and ending up losing him. I-I'm in love with him, Logan. Losing him would kill me..."

"But you just said you're 99.9 percent sure James is Shadow. I highly doubt he'll break up with you over a small, simple question. I think he feels the same way about you, Kendall; from the looks you get from him, he's head over heels for you so I'm sure if you ask him, he'll say he isn't but won't break up with you."

"B-But I still think he is Shadow, Logie..." The blonde trailed off, Logan soon having an idea forming in his head.

"How about this then, let's do some investigating of Shadow as much as we can from what we can dig up in the papers; there has to some clue among the few pictures caught of him, we'll just need to look real close to see them. How does that sound?" Logan said with a light smile, Kendall's bottle green eyes glowing in joy.

"Really, thanks Logan! I owe you one, big time!"

"No prob, bro. That's what best buds do for each other; we can start research today after school, we don't want anyone catching on to what we're scheming about this time." Both shared a nod in agreement and quick smile before focusing back on what they were doing before: Logan reading his latest novel and Kendall doodling in his sketchbook.

...

James' eyes narrowed as he soon turned off his audio recorder and placed it back into his backpack; normally he would use this to do sound checks before school dances, Guitar Club concerts or poetry jams. For now, however, he was using it to confirm the suspicions of his new boyfriend knowing about his other identity.

Well, looks like he isn't the only one hiding secrets from his new lover, huh?

'H-He suspects me, just like I feared! And he and Logan are going to start investigating me, and the biggest clue would be to notice that most of Shadow's tech is funded with money from my mom's cosmetics company! I mean, how else could someone get some up-to-date stuff in this little town? Thankfully the money used for funding is under my name as inheritance but still, if they start hunting they'll find a lead on me! I can't let that happen...!' James' thoughts were following Shadow's third person thought process, all panicky but slowly formulating a plan to counter this problem.

"B-But, he said he's in love with me; he feels the same, I love him back..." James choked out, his lips forming what he felt inside, what he wanted to say but was blocked by Shadow.

'So, no this isn't about love! This is about a mission, everything must be sacrificed for the sake of the mission! He's getting too close, a risk unwanted! He needs to stay out of this!' Shadow ranted mentally, the brunette gripping at his head as a throb of pain racked the back of his skull; this pain, it happened when he and Shadow disagreed on something. It was a pain that would come and not leave him alone until Shadow got what he wanted.

The two were the same person, but like two spirits in one body; conflicting, opposite sides of the same coin.

"S-So, all for the sake of the secret?" James whispered, his eyes going dark as Shadow took over his weak, crumbling composure.

'Yes, for the sake of secret, the mission. I, no we, have to make sure Kendall doesn't find out the truth. Even if it means breaking his heart, breaking both our hearts in the process. All for the sake of our secret, all for the secret; we won't give him a chance to investigate us this afternoon, I don't have a plan right now but I'll have one ready for him soon.' Shadow said to James, the brunette's usual fake smile smoothing over his frightened look.

"Okay, for our secret. I can't let anyone know Shadow and James Diamond are the same person; it's a secret and it will stay that way, even if I have to take down anyone who gets in my way."


	8. Chapter 8

Hey. Not a lot of free time for me today, so just one update for 'Your Dark Knight' though it's kind of romantic (major Kames fluff!) so I hope it makes everyone happy. Thank you, thank, thank you for the reviews and kind words, and support overall; I can't believe that my work is liked (it's been a while that I've written stories and I still can't believe my pieces actually catch others' attention) by way more talented and creative writers here so thank you all so much...:) I had this chapter focus on James, after losing that mental battle with Shadow, and how he thinks as himself; he doesn't focus on the mission, but on the fact...his heart is alive, alive again because of Kendall...I wonder how all of you will react to this chapter, since it's really fluffy...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...I think this chapter ended up being shorter than I wanted, but can everyone believe now that James may be stuck between a rock and wall here?

* * *

What the hell, was he suppose to do now?

He was in way too deep; Shadow already made up his mind and he had agreed for the sake of the secret, but to hurt Kendall...

James flinched as a pang went off in his chest, his hands flying over to rest below his collarbone.

...What was this feeling, this immense pain inside him? Never once has he ever felt this way before; the urge to cry, the urge to rip his hair out, the urge to...give himself.

To someone else; to finally let go of the agony that has plagued him for years, and give himself up to Kendall.

The urge to kiss the blonde, to hold him and protect him, not as Shadow but as the real him, the real James that he was slowly bringing out from the grave. With Kendall, it really was different than when around Carlos, Jade, or his mom Brooke; the love was different, more hurting than a knife to the heart but more pleasing and refreshing than water in days of drought.

He felt...was this true love? Love, the love you feel when you may have stumbled upon your soul mate, your true other half?

Another pang to his chest, making him take in a sharp breath and squeeze his eyes closed.

The blonde's skin: sweet and warm, with the smell of life and vanilla. His smile: friendly and always a little shy, well around the brunette, but friendly nonetheless. His lips: soft and tempting, a taste sinful yet that gave the taller boy a complete, mind-numbing bliss when meeting those lips with his. His hair: silky smooth and messy but still stylish, heavy with the scent of honey or butterscotch from his all-natural shampoo. His body: slender and flawless skin everywhere to be admired for hours and hours, perfect to fit into his arms and small yet solid and real. His voice: light, a rich alto at times but a cute soprano when he blushed that fiery, lovely shade of red.

Oh God, why was this hurting James so much? The kisses, Kendall's name...did Shadow really think he could easily erase that from inside him? The texture of the other's spidery, delicate hands or the way his heart raced when the shorter boy hugged him? How his fears, insecurities and worries vanished with just being around the blonde?

How the hell was he suppose to erase all that, all of this sensation? All of this raw, new emotion?

Emotion James has never felt before, sensations dancing across his skin that have only erupted in and around him when he finally looked into those bottle green eyes and took the chance for something more, not to settle for sudden glances in the halls or during class.

How the hell was he suppose find the courage...to push away the one he was in love with?

Carlos had been right in the end; in the short amount of time he's spent so close to the blonde, his feelings have developed more. He didn't just really like Kendall anymore, he loved him; needed him, because he was the only one who could bring back the real James from the grave, get the other to finally open and not be so afraid of getting hurt again by life.

The only one, who could free him from Shadow's fear, of his hatred and disgust for the world.

"What am I to do now? He's in me, he lives in me now; I can't give him up, he's a part of me. He's all of me, all I want now...is to love him. I don't want to be Shadow anymore if it means giving up Kendall, is a secret really worth losing the one you love? And so what if he finds out, Kendall can keep a secret. He wouldn't betray me...I know it, because he loves me back, he loves me like I love him." James mumbled to himself, struggling to take in a breath to relax.

"Hey, are you okay?" The brunette blinked his hazel eyes open and tilted his head to the side; concerned, loving bottle green eyes met his gaze.

"How did you find me?" James asked with a soft, confused tone of voice; it was his lunch period but instead of meeting with Carlos at the benches like always, he had snuck away into a small clearing in the woods a few miles away from the school. It was his place, the place he went to when he wanted to be alone and think. He didn't worry much about getting caught by Officer Wainwright as she did her usual rounds through the campus; she knew about this place and hasn't said a word to the principal, plus James doubted others really cared he was missing at the moment.

Well, except for the blonde beauty standing over him, hands behind his back and head ducked down.

Kendall blushed a cute, faint pink as he slowly sat down beside his handsome boyfriend, smiling when James reached out with a hand and began drawing random patterns across his back gently.

"I asked Carlos about your other hangouts while in school, I wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you, James? Is something wrong, you can tell me anything you know, I'm here for you..." The blonde said, catching the playing hand on his back and lacing their fingers firmly. James bit his lower lip before sitting up, carefully working the blonde down until his back was on the grassy floor with him straddling Kendall by the waist, wrists held in place by James' hands.

Kendall's face went from a strawberry pink to a tomato red in three seconds flat; he looked at the taller with confusion, longing, love in his expression. That expression was seducing James even more, making him love the other more and more.

Shadow's growl echoed in the back of his head but he forced himself to ignore it, built walls his other self couldn't penetrate; he wasn't going to ruin this moment with Kendall, he won't let him.

"J-James...?"

"Shhh, let me try something okay? I want to see something real quick, my Kenny Rabbit..." James whispered to him, licking his suddenly dry lips before beginning to lower them slowly towards the light pink, tempting pair under him; Kendall's breathing sharpened but he didn't pull away, eyes closing as he waited patiently for the shock, the overwhelming (though in a good sense of the word) sensation he always felt prickling at his whole body when they kissed.

James worked his intoxicating wintergreen breath over the boy's mouth in a teasing motion, getting a light shiver from the boy under him before he molded his lips to Kendall's.

What he felt...was absolutely amazing!

His mind was now numb, Shadow's voice dying out in his head until nothing, not even a growl, could be heard; a wave of shivers rolled over his spine, a weak moan escaping him as the want to embrace the other took over him. To feel his pulse jump like crazy under his tender touch, to breathe in the other's scent of want, to ravish the other like he should be by a respected partner; Kendall was everything James wasn't and didn't deserve, but what he did deserve was to be adored and admired like the work of art he was.

Oh God, this feeling was too amazing to put into simple words! Words in the English language would not be able to do this feeling justice! He was a puddle in the blonde's hands, he was at his mercy!

He was at someone's else mercy for once, and he didn't mind it at all.

Kendall's reaction mirrored his: a thick blush on his sweet, pale face while his heart rammed against his ribcage, eyes closed in complete serene, hands finding their way into James' hair and tucking here and there at the chocolate-brown locks. The blonde threw out one leg under the brunette while the other was tucked to him, James placing one hand to his right hip while the free one cupped the back of the younger boy's head.

Kendall felt like his heart was about to explode when James deepened the kiss; he was engulfed by a passionate yet warm flame, a candle that tickled him inside and soothed everything that was stressing or frightening him. He freed one of his hands so that James could lace their fingers again, chest rising and falling rapidly when they parted and gazed with lidded eyes at the other.

James had a dark pink streak running across his cheeks and nose, hazel eyes now a bright, boiling amber while he looked over the just as flustered blonde; his hair spread sickly about his head like the halo of a fallen angel's, body heat higher than normal, lips a little swollen from the brunette pleasuring them senseless, his vanilla scent heavier in the brunette's nostrils than anywhere else, looking completely weak and defenseless but also so beautiful and precious.

It was a beautiful sight; Kendall was beautiful, very beautiful.

"W-What was that for?" Kendall managed to choke out through his gulps for air, hands against the brunette's toned chest; James leaned closer over him again to press a light kiss to his lips again before flooding the swan, smooth neck under him with caring pecks. Kendall shivered and buried his face into the other's hair when James unbuttoned his plaid shirt so that he could rest his head over his chest, rest his head there to hear that lovely, racing heart thumping in Kendall's torso.

Just like was Kendall outside, he was beautiful inside; that heart beating was pure and innocent, clean and naive but beautiful and just precious like a jewel.

"I love you, I wanted to show you in the best way I had in mind; I'm not a big talker and feelings are hard to get out in words for me sometimes, so I went with showing you the best way I can come up with. I love you Kendall, with all my heart. I think I've loved you all my life, just never tried to do anything about it until now. But I love you, more than you can even begin to imagine..." James said as he pulled away to meet the other's eyes; tears were filling those pretty green pools, but they were tears of happiness, not pain.

"I love you too, James. I've always loved you, and I think I'll love you for the rest of my life. I love you, I love you, I love you so much." The blonde replied, closing his eyes and practically purring when their lips met again in the same warm, passionate caress.

There he said it, he told Kendall he loved him.

And now, he knew that once he was away from the blonde, Shadow will not hold back on whatever plan he may have now to have his boyfriend out of his life.

...He just hoped he was strong enough to fight back when the time came, to not do what his alter-ego wanted of him this time.

Because, he's never been this happy before and he didn't want to lose it. Not now, nor ever.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry, I forgot again (I have insomnia; lack of sleep can make you forgetful) about another chapter for 'Your Dark Knight' that I had written; it's short, it could be confusing but it adds to the story in a twist so I hope it's good. My OC Damian is in this, it focuses at lot on him and the SPD here so brace yourselves...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...I will say this again, big surprise in this one so please be ready. And if you all get confused, don't worry because all will be explained in later chapters...

* * *

"Why the hell did you call me in today, sir? It's my day off, I was suppose to stay at home with Joslyn and Mauricio today, it's my son's birthday damn it!" Damian Raine growled and slammed his fists on Officer Garcia's desk.

He was suppose to be with his boyfriend and their son but no, his boss just had to call him in to the SPD for a reason he has to reveal to the young, hotshot detective.

Well the older man better have a good reason, before the blue-eyed detective busts his face in; his son and lover were the most important people to him in the world, the only people he had left to love since he had no other family. He was orphaned as a kid and has known foster families all his life, though since he use to be a troublemaker, those people were only in his life for so little time. When he was older and met Joslyn, he promised himself that he would always put his family first, even before his own passion in the crime-solving field. Right now, however, Officer Garcia was making the man have a hard time keeping his promise.

He didn't give a damn right now that he was talking so rudely to Carlos' dad, who he has been friends with since the day he became a part of the SPD a few years back. If the man didn't start talking soon, he would knock out his teeth before turning on his heel out the door; Damian wasn't one to take things lightly, especially when they were working his nerves.

Officer Garcia didn't look unfazed by the other's attitude though, a large smile on his lips; he crossed his arms and let out a laugh, that only sparking the spunky hotshot's temper to higher heights.

"Sir if you just called me in to laugh at my outraged face, you'll very be sorry in a few minutes." Damian warned, though his bright blue eyes lost their steely glare when the man continued laughing; it wasn't a mocking laugh like he expected though, instead of one glee...and smug maybe?

What the hell was going on?

"Sorry Raine but I now have what I've hunted for, searching like crazy for months on end! I finally have it!" Officer Garcia said, his dark skin stretched tight over his cheeks in a beaming smile still; Damian just quipped an eyebrow at the older man, expression lost and still a bit frustrated.

"What, you finally got a razor strong enough to get rid of all that stubble on your fat chin?" Damian hissed bitterly with a hand on his hip, his bangs falling over his eyes.

"Funny son, funny. No, I finally have proof that Shadow is a no-good punk! A criminal playing hero, when he's really just another dirt bag like those we bring to justice every day and night of our lives! I finally have it, the proof that I need to send up to the big honcho and get the permission to start tagging on that delinquent's tail!" That made Damian freeze, mouth going agape as he processed the news.

What, proof of Shadow being a criminal? What crap was this man spewing anyway? That's impossible! He knew Shadow, they were friends, the guy was a little over-confident but he was harmless!

Okay, now his interest was peaked.

"What are you talking about, sir? The head of the SPD said to leave Shadow alone, he's not considered much of a threat to us! You maybe the leader of our squad, but he knows your obsession with Shadow's identity and would just brush you off! Just why the hell are you making such a big scandal, what's your 'so-called' proof anyway?" The detective sneered, his hostile expression hiding the fear knotting his stomach.

Normally he would just brush the man's claims off and go about his business, but something in the pit of his gut told him that...Officer Garcia wasn't playing around this time.

"Check out this video, it's of the guy who broke in and ransacked the grocery store about a few blocks from here, about an hour so ago; look who caused trouble in our little, sleepy town this time! I'll give you a hint, it wasn't some normal crook we're use to seeing! There's a reason we couldn't catch him!" Officer Garcia switched on the small television on his desk and shoved in the video tape evidence of the store's security cameras; he had managed to get his hands on this thanks to the owner, his heart racing in joy again at seeing the scene caught on tape unfold before his eyes.

Damian scoffed under his breath and walked around the desk to see the T.V.'s screen better, shoving his superior back in his rolling chair and hunching over to watch the tape with cold, bright blue eyes.

Yet when he was about three minutes into the video, his face went pale and the knots in his stomach tightened even more.

N-No, it can't be! This has to be some hoax, some cruel sick joke that Officer Garcia was playing on him!

But...that mask, it was a domino mask.

A domino mask Damian has seen many times over.

"No way." He managed to choke out through a dry throat.

"Yes, yes, yes! I told you didn't I, Raine? I knew this guy was a two-face, we got him now! He'll be ours in no time, when he shows his face around here again, we'll be ready for him!" Officer Garcia exclaimed, jumping out his seat to go out of the room and make the call to the head of the entire SPD operation.

This left Damian Raine alone, a heavy weight falling onto his chest; his son's hero, the town's own Jason Todd...

"It can't be you, Shads. No way..." He tried to deny the images before him, but every time he opened and closed his eyes to hide away from the tape, the sight was still there.

It was of Shadow; it was of Shadow attacking the store, frightening all the people shopping there and holding a dark, evil smirk on his masked face.

H-He was attacking innocent people, Shadow was attacking the people he once charged himself to protect.

The masked individual that he has protected, befriended, and looked out for...was acting like the anti-hero he said he was.

"No, no, no. No, no, no!"


	10. Chapter 10

Hello. Insomnia is a pain in the side, isn't it? Well trust me, it's a torture for me but since it lets me think of ideas for new story chapters, I guess...it's okay? Well anyways, time for a new chapter of 'Your Dark Knight'. I wish to say that this will probably be the last chapter, at least for a while, to be written so quickly; I do have other stories to update for, plus a new school year is on the horizon and I'd hate for my genius (so not being modest here; supposedly, I'm a child prodigy) to not be shown to my fellow classmates and teachers (it's funny when they think low of me, then get the surprise that I know more than they expected) like always, so I need to focus on my studies. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter, thank you so much for the reviews and with that, here is the latest chapter to 'Your Dark Knight'...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...Note: A lot of things take place in this chapter and, the moment of truth is near...

* * *

Even though he has dealt with long, exhausting 8-hour periods of important education almost every day, Kendall felt extremely tired and sleepy when the dismissal bell went off and allowed the students of Sherwood High School to leave campus; he was dazed, there were thick purple bags under his bottle green eyes from the insomnia episode, and his brain was just out of tune with everything going on around him.

In shorter terms, he was out like a light even though his body was wide awake.

"Kendall, maybe you should let me do the research for today; dude, you look dead on your feet." Logan said to him as they lounged in the schoolyard, away from the large crowd of laughing teens and seething teachers; they were waiting until the parking lot was empty, less traffic meant an easier route to the ravenette's car in the end.

The blonde took about ten minutes before realizing Logan was talking to him, jumping slightly as he struggled to put his facial expression into a simple smile.

"N-Nah Logie, I'm fine! Ready to start digging!" He said in a weak cheerful voice, Logan shooting him a mild glare and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Kendall, you sound as if you're high on cold medicine. You're slurring your words, you look out of it plus you're so uptight right now that someone dropping a pencil would probably send you scrambling up a tree. Dude, James is here still; I can do the work for today on Shadow's identity, but for now just go find your boyfriend and have him take you home in my place." Logan said in an adult tone, the blonde rolling his eyes but soon sighing in silent agreement.

He knew Logan was right, as usual; the mocha-eyed boy dreamed of becoming a doctor, so he knew almost everything about the human body, from the nervous system to the names of all the 206 bones. He could tell Kendall was running on fumes, in that condition he'd probably hinder the investigation they were planning on Sherwood's mild Jason Todd.

Still, to leave his best friend with the task and bother his precious boyfriend over something as silly as insomnia...

"Kendall, just listen to me okay?"

"B-But...!"

"Is something wrong, guys?"

Both gasped and turned to see James standing there with his bag over one shoulder and a hand on his right hip, his hazel brown eyes looking with warm concern at his blonde-haired beauty. Kendall blushed and looked down at his feet, Logan smiling brightly though; talk about the brunette's perfect timing!

"Actually yes, James my good friend. Kendall here is dead tired but insists on helping me out with some homework for our Geometry class; of course I can handle that with my hands behind my back, but you know him, always the ideal pal!" Logan said, feigning a look of surprise; James held back a smirk as he approached Kendall and embraced him tightly, their eyes meeting when he pressed a kiss to the shorter boy's bushy eyebrows.

"Kenny Rabbit, are you overworking yourself?"

"Eh, no?" Kendall tried to make up a decent-sounding lie but failed at seeing the unconvinced spark in his boyfriend's stare; he soon snuggled into the junior's warm, strong chest and breathed in his scent, a nod leaving him shortly afterwards.

"So, what were you saying...?"

"I'm tired..."

"What was that?" James asked, Logan chuckling quietly at the harmless teasing; he could tell Kendall's blush was darker now, even if he couldn't see the blonde's face, said boy punching James' left shoulder playfully.

"I said, I'm tired."

"One more time, babe."

"I'm tired, tired! Okay, really tired I am!" Kendall said, James laughing at the feeble impression of Yoda from the secret geeky (yet the fact he loved a geek made James giddy inside, since he liked odd yet intriguing interests in others) boy; he pressed a kiss to the other's lips quickly, smiling once more when he saw the longing, affectionate look taking over Kendall's pretty boy features.

"That's what I wanted to hear in the first place, Kenny Rabbit. Don't worry Logan, I'll take him to my house; I'm sure my mom and Jade won't mind my cute little boyfriend staying over for a bit, plus he can call his mom using my home phone to let her know he's fine and just sleeping over a friend's place tonight. Actually, I like the idea. That means I get to be around you for the rest of the day, Kenny Rabbit..." James whispered into the other's ear, thinking Kendall looked so adorable gripping his dark purple leather jacket tighter around himself.

After the romantic meeting they had during lunch, James had let Kendall borrow his jacket to avoid having questioning stares on him during class; since the brunette left a large amount of love bites on his lover's neck, the blonde couldn't go around school looking like he was just pleasantly ravished by an angel unless he wanted to get suspended by the principal.

"A-Are you sure that's alright, James? I mean, your mom has never seen me before..." Kendall said, pausing when James rolled his eyes.

"Sweetie, Jade knows you; she can fill in my mom about you herself, and I'll happily tell her how much I love and adore you as soon as she gets home tonight. She works late most nights so she probably won't be there when we arrive, but I'm sure she won't mind. I'm a devil at school but an angel at home, I never do anything wrong so she trusts me 99.9 percent of the time." He responded, Logan raising an eyebrow.

"What about the remaining one percent, dude?"

"The remaining one percent...she thinks one day I may burn down the house while fixing dinner and die in the flames, but that's been my chore for five years now and it hasn't happened yet. She's just paranoid, you know? Since Jade and I are her 'babies', she's very overprotective of us. Because she loves us, and because she's afraid of losing us like she did Shay..."

Kendall frowned and pressed soothing kisses to the brunette's cheeks and chin, knowing that sad look overshadowing those hypnotizing, brown eyes; he was thinking about his deceased older brother Shane, his twin that he lost two years ago in that horrible car accident.

"Well then, I leave Kendall in your capable hands, James. See you two tomorrow and don't worry bro, I'll figure out the Geometry homework on my own. Take care guys, until tomorrow." Logan said, patting both lightly on the back before smiling and turning on his heels to start toward his car, Kendall soon gasping when James suddenly picked him up bridal style and held him close to his warm body, the sky darkening and a chill soon heavy in the still air.

"J-James, what are you doing!"

"Carrying you, isn't it obvious, Kenny Rabbit? You're tired and I don't want you wasting your remaining energy trekking to my house; I'll happily carry you there, you can sleep on the way." James explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well it was to him and now to Kendall, just that the blonde had been caught off guard is all.

"B-But your car, you can't leave it here in the school parking lot!"

"Babe, it won't get jacked up or anything if that's what you're worrying about; since I stayed behind talking to my Photography teacher about an assignment, I let Carlos take the truck and had him drive Jade home. Everything's under control, now sleep my Sleeping Beauty. My beating heart will now soothe you to dreamland in no time, don't worry about a thing; you know you're the most important person to me in this world, I won't let anything happen to you." James assured the younger boy with a sweet smile and brief kiss on the lips.

Kendall's face was still red in embarrassment and shyness as he cuddled up to the other's toned frame, arms around James' neck and eyes closing almost instantly as the insomnia's defects from earlier today began to pull him under a heavy, thick cloud of fatigue.

James smiled tenderly at the dozing off beauty in his hold, shifting Kendall's own bag to his free shoulder and making sure the other was all nice and cozy in his long, strong arms before heading out of school grounds toward his house.

...

"Kenny Rabbit, can you hear me? Sweetie...?"

Kendall's bottle green eyes slowly fluttered open at James' melodic voice, he noticing he was in a large bedroom with the walls painted black with a rich, dark red carpet flooring.

He faintly groaned and sat up, realizing also he was in an incredibly soft, king-sized bed with crimson red sheets and fluffy pillows; he blushed feverishly at seeing that he had been changed out of his clothes and into a pair of silk, black pajamas, his eager for James eyes soon falling upon the smirking brunette.

"Looks like my voice can wake up this Sleeping Beauty, huh? How are you feeling, Kenny Rabbit?" The junior cooed, rising from his computer desk chair in the far right corner of the room and soon climbing into bed with the blonde, he dressed in a black tank top and gray sweatpants; he looked a little frazzled, maybe from taking a short nap sitting up while watching over the shorter boy for who knows how long.

"I feel better, at least I got more than two hours of sleep in today. Is this your room, Jamie?" Kendall asked, arms going out toward the other while a pout pulled at his soft lips; James' smirk grew as he gathered the younger boy into his arms, both now having their backs to the bed and eyes on the bone white ceiling.

"Yeah, this is my cave so to speak. I know it's not much, but it's home you know?" James mused, Kendall unable to believe how heavy the lack of interest was in the other's voice.

The room was spacious yet not overbearing; the windows were large and overlooked a clear, starry night sky and full glowing moon. The walls were black but had several red Xs painted in the corners, book shelves in high towers throughout the room while an elegant dresser and chest of drawers occupied the wall opposite the brunette's bed. Two whole walls, however, were made of glass; double mirrors reflected the two perfectly like the face of a large river, the shards of the mirror James shattered to pieces months ago all stuffed away in a black trash bag hidden deep within his closet.

It was a cave in a way, due to the dark colors and air of solitude present, but it wasn't a cave Kendall would mind spending nights in with James.

"How long have I been out?" The blonde soon asked, his eyes on his lover's calm face. James smiled as he played with a lock of dirty blonde hair between two long, spidery fingers.

"Let's see, we left school like around three in the afternoon and it's eight now, so for about five hours." Kendall's eyes nearly popped from their sockets, a gasp leaving him and causing his body to snap into a sitting position once more, knocking James' arms from around him (sadly).

"F-Five hours! Oh no, my mom and Katie! They must be worried sick, I need to call them!" He began but James pulled him into a fiery kiss shortly afterwards, stroking his face as he worked his magic on the soon moaning blonde.

"Sweetie, Logan saved us there; he called ahead to your mom and told her about you staying over here tonight, she said it was okay so no worries. My mom isn't home yet and Jade's in her room talking with Dak over the phone, so we are in the clear." James explained, Kendall burying his face into those perfect chocolate-brown locks when his lover nipped at his sensitive neck.

"A-And how did I change clothes then?"

"Simple, Jade helped me with it; she dresses most of the Drama Club kids for their performances so she gave me a few pointers on how to do it right without waking you. I told you I'd take good care of you; you're my life now, you deserve only the best, Kenny Rabbit." James answered as he pushed the blonde into his pillows and ravished his neck more with pecks and light bites; Kendall shivered as a pink streak crossed his thin cheeks and nose, he soon seeking the brunette's soft lips to taste, to bask in their warmth and the ability they possessed to send him into a world of absolute bliss.

Their passionate lock of lips lasted until they ran out of breath five, long minutes later, Kendall panting and pressing his body closer to the one hovering over him as James struggled to gulp in a lungful of air.

"Damn, you're hard to resist, do you know that?" The brunette choked out, Kendall letting out his famous cackle at this; only James would be so blunt to say that out loud and not feel ashamed to.

"Good to know, that means I still hold your interest." Kendall replied with a surprisingly flirty grin; James smirked at the lovableness of the dirty blonde and kissed his left cheek, nipping at the baby soft skin there.

"You hold more than my attention; you hold my heart." James said, resisting the urge to face his reflection in the mirror; even though his eyes were focused on Kendall, he could sense Shadow's outline watching, glaring in anger and jealously from the mirrors.

Even in the safety of his room, James and Shadow could not be separated.

'Now, ask him now!' Shadow's voice echoed loudly in his head, making the brunette wince.

"James, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Kenny Rabbit, just a little headache is all. But tell me something, is Logan really bad at Geometry or what? I mean he's a child prodigy, it's hard to believe he would need help in anything relating to schoolwork." James mused randomly, cocking his head to the side; Kendall bit his lower lip, not wanting to lie to the love of his life but unable to say the truth just yet. Saying anything would have to bring up Kendall's theory of James and Shadow being the same person, and he had no evidence to prove him right or otherwise.

For now, he had to bite his tongue and play it easy.

"Actually I'm the one who's not good at Geometry; Logan just said that so not to embarrass me."

'See, he's lying to our face! Do you really think he's worthy of learning the truth about us? He's just a distraction, he'll just be in the way! Even if I love him as much as you, the same way as you, we can't risk him learning more! It's a good thing we stopped him from meeting with Logan to investigate us, but it's just the first step! We still have a lot to do...' Shadow whispered in the back of James' head, the brunette wincing again though this time able to hide it so that Kendall wouldn't get worried about him.

"Oh, well I'm not that bad with Math; maybe I can help you."

"N-No!" Kendall exclaimed before thinking his actions through more carefully, his near hysterics outburst making James raise an eyebrow at him.

"Why not, Kenny Rabbit? I know my strong points are in English and Art, but Geometry isn't that hard once you get the hang of it. Why won't you let me help you, Kendall? Is something wrong, are you okay?" The brunette asked, face serious as he cupped Kendall's cheeks and stared hard into his bottle green eyes.

Kendall felt tears stream down his cheeks, the sight making James' eyes widen.

"Kendall, what's wrong! Please tell me, what's wrong my sweet bunny?" The brunette's face was in panic mode as he cradled the younger boy in his arms, rubbing the small of his back gently and working kisses into his hair.

Kendall just shook his head and gripped James' tank top tighter between pale hands, wanting nothing more than to calm down with James' scent.

"N-Nothing, just being emotional again I guess." He only said, though he trembled when James' cell-phone vibrated on his bedside table; the brown-eyed boy held Kendall close still with one arm while his free hand swiped his phone and checked the latest message: it was from Carlos.

He was confused as to why the Latino was contacting him so late (well, late for the taller junior) but after he read the text over and over, James' heart clenched tightly and Shadow growled again in the back of his head.

_James, this is bad! The SPD, Shadow's now a wanted criminal by them! Something's up, Shadow is a wanted criminal by the SPD! My dad is in charge of the squad after him, after you! We have to do something, quick and now before things get worse! I'll try to find out more through Damian, but we have to come up with a plan to fix this soon!_

_-Carlos._

...

Logan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Logan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He tossed the newspaper clippings and photos he managed to get aside on his desk, plopping down on his bed with a heavy heart.

For the last five hours, he's been looking over everything he could get of Sherwood's mild Jason Todd, of the mysterious Shadow...and nothing new has been uncovered by his calculating mocha brown eyes.

The pictures showed no trace of the hero's hair color or eyes, the columns dedicated to him were short and didn't have much detail, plus whatever important or interesting information would be kept out of the public's eye, to the police only.

He was at a dead end; all this digging and flipping through for nothing, nothing to prove if Kendall was right or wrong about James being Shadow. There was no clues to prove the silent, often anti-social teenager was the mysterious masked crime-fighter by night.

What was he suppose to do now?

"There has to be something, something I'm not seeing or getting right away. This guy can't exist on his own, no way..." The young genius muttered under his breath, reaching for a picture of said hero on the floor and sitting up to place it on his lap, switching on his reading lamp to get a better look.

The domino mask that hid those eyes well, the black body suit made without a trace to the original material or company, the skills of an acrobat and tech of a billionaire. Where could Shadow be getting all this funding from, it can't be from here since there was no company or industry in Sherwood with the bucks to create blueprints and put in the blood, sweat, brains and tears to make this kind of stuff: smoke traps and trace decoys, gloves that left no fingerprints on the surfaces they touched, motion sensors and heat-seeking night-vision goggles.

It was like the fancy tech the freakin' Batman had thanks to Wayne Enterprises!

"Where does this dude get his toys? There has to be something, something I'm not getting! Come on brain, don't let me down now!" Logan huffed, folding the picture and tossing it into the wastebasket by his desk; he rolled out of bed and turned to his computer, its screen opened up to the online page of James' mom's cosmetics company.

The page was simple yet attention-catching, a list of the items sold in big, brightly colored letters with the company's number off to the side in case of questions and concerns of the products produced.

He had looked through the site in hopes of finding some logic to Kendall's reasoning about James and Shadow being one-in-the-same but found nothing, that resulted in a dead end too.

"What am I missing? Shadow, I know there's more to you than what we already now. Who are you under that mask, and it is...true, what the SPD reported on the news about you attacking innocent people during a robbery? Are you really just a bad guy who wanted to gain the trust of the town to later stab us in the back? Or...no, there is more to this." Logan soon pulled up the article talking about Shadow's new turn of leaf, scanning the images carefully once more.

Same mask, same smirk and suit, same fighting style and everything in between.

But...Logan had a feeling this could not be Shadow.

The attacking of people, the cruel methods of manipulation and torture, the evil vibe from the hero (now a wanted criminal by the SPD) in general...none followed Shadow's style of handling things; sure everything was a match to who Logan knew about but there was something different about Shadow in these images, like a carbon copy of the real thing.

"I can't help but think this is a big mistake; Shadow isn't a bad guy, even if it looks like he is now. But I can't dwell too much on that, I have to think where the cash flow for his tech is coming from." Logan's mocha eyes returned to his computer's screen at seeing an update to the site pop up; apparently, Brooke Diamond's kingdom of cosmetics has made over two-thousand billion dollars in the last few months, due to some investments in security technology and mechanics.

The woman was raking in big money, yet chose to live in a mini mansion in a small town, with her now only son and adoptive daughter.

Wait...that's it!

Investments in security technology and mechanics, developments in defenses!

Shadow's tools, his equipment!

It must come from...!

"Brooke's cosmetics company! There must be someone in there who is helping Shadow, or at least has some type of intimate connection to him! That's it, why didn't I see it before? The millions of dollars raked in by Brooke's products, they would be able to be invested in and even buy Shadow's tech! Which means, Kendall could be on the right track! James may not be Shadow but someone in his mom's business knows or is him! That's it, I need to get down to Brooke's company first thing tomorrow and ask around! I'll skip school, no big deal since I'm the top of my class, and find out more!" Logan's lips twisted in a smile as he grabbed a notepad on his desk and began to write down notes and his plans on how to find the information he needed, brain working into overdrive.

Now he had a lead; it was a stale lead but a lead nonetheless.

And now that he has a lead, he was going to have pull out all the stops of his detective skills in order to the solve this mystery.

...

Damian sighed as he put his son Mauricio to bed, the small dark-haired boy finally asleep after crying for several hours; he was now a mess after learning about Shadow's change of heart, his lovely blue-green eyes sad and spirit crushed to know the hero he looked up to...was really a criminal playing the good guy.

"Please, please let me find a way to prove Shads is innocent. He's not a bad guy, I know it and someone is out there framing him somehow. Please God, help me find the real culprit and teach him the lesson on what happens when someone toys with justice, with the truth and the law." Damian prayed as he stared out the window, chest tight and mind racing.

Oh, for once he was going to let fate decide the time limit of this problem; even though he was itching to take some action, all he could do for now was wait.

Wait for a sign, then jump in when the time was right...

...

"Soon, soon everything will fall into place. Soon, everyone will pay for what they did to me..."


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone. I'm back to put up a new chapter; insomnia is horrible, especially when you're preparing for school and wish to sleep but can't. Oh well, is there much different between thinking while awake and dreaming while asleep? Maybe there is and my mind is dim to work out the pros and cons of that idea but enough of my sleepless ranting now, on to the next chapter. Warning: Kendall fans...(that includes me) brace yourselves because our blonde's heart gets stabbed at really badly in this chapter, and troubles only seem to get worse, for James and Shadow, and Carlos...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...Thank you for the reviews; it's amazing this story has only eleven chapters and is over twenty in reviews. Though now of that would have been possible without everyone's support, so thank you very much for making this story such a fun, suspenseful tale to write and really pour my heart and mind into...

* * *

"James, what's wrong? Who texted you, what did they say? Will you please tell me, please?" Kendall asked, bottle green eyes wide in worry at seeing his boyfriend's content expression suddenly change into one of pure fear and anger; it was like a switch just turned off inside him, leaving him cold and barren, untouchable and out of reach.

Kendall didn't like that; he has worked hard to earn James' trust and get the other to open up at his own pace and will, and seeing that look, that hardness in his warm hazel eyes made him feel as if he has failed as a boyfriend.

"Nothing." James responded in a steely tone, his teeth clenched tight under his lips; he reached for a black, X-baring hoodie laying like a forgotten towel on the rich red carpet floor and tossed it on over his head, making short work of the laces of his shoes and tying his house key around his right wrist.

"James, tell me! Where are you going?" The blonde shouted but was ignored this time, the junior fastening his hoodie's zipper under his chin before yanking back his bedroom door and disappearing into the hallway; Kendall quickly changed out of the pajamas he was wearing and pulled on his jeans and shirt that rested folded all nicely on James' bedside table, he scrambling after James only to bump into Jade in the middle of the hallway.

"Oh Lindo, hola! How are you, and why did Estrella just speed-walk down the stairs as if he was going out for a jog? It's pretty late for that, wait...estas bien, Kendall? You're incredibly pale, and panic is in your eyes. Que pasa, is there anything I can do to help? Is mi hermano okay?" Jade began her muse of kind-hearted questions at seeing the distracted gleam in her brother's lover's eyes, her toothbrush sticking out of her mouth as she stood before the blonde in a pair of green shorts and a black shirt for pajamas.

"Jade, James got a text that left him all frazzled and he just got up and left without telling me anything about what the text said; I don't even know who texted him to begin with, was he this way this morning when he walked you to class? You know, acting this strange and a little distant?" Kendall asked, Jade's eyes going wide in confusion.

"Espera, que dices? Kendall, mi Lindo nino, James did not walk me to class this morning; I had a meeting like normal and I walked to class with Camille and Dak afterwards but I didn't see him in the hallways on my way to AP U.S. History, Estrella was with you...was he not?" The kind-hearted freshman trailed off, Kendall feeling a pang going off in his chest.

James...lied to him? He didn't walk Jade to class like he said he had to, did he made that up so the blonde wouldn't wonder where he was headed?

And with that alone, why would the brunette lie to him? Was there some secret he didn't want him to know?

'Wait, Shadow...!' That thought ran in Kendall's head like a speedster on an elevator. He couldn't fathom why the teenage crime-fighter came to his mind at the leaving of his boyfriend, but something inside him was nagging at him to follow, because Shadow had something to do with (as impossible and weird as it sounded) James reacting that way to the text.

"Kendall, are you okay?" Jade asked again, but the blonde shook his head as tears bit the corners of his eyes.

"Jade, stay here while I go after James okay? I don't know what's going on but I'll find out, promise. Just stay put here and don't worry because I'll find out why he lied to me this morning and why he just ran off." He assured the black-haired girl, she looking scared and concerned for him as he ran pass her and farther down the hallway for the stairs.

"Wait, hermano lied? Porque, why would he lie to Kendall. And...why do I have this strange feeling in my heart, that solo cosas mas peores estan en camino hace nosotros? Oh Dios, please let this chilling sensation be wrong, please let me believe nothing bad will happen to those I love, por favor..."

...

"This can't be happening!" Carlos groaned to himself as he waited for James in one of the many Sherwood Parks in their tiny, little town.

He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and hoodie to shield away from the cold, dark night as he kicked at a nearby picnic table and gripped at his Hockey helmet-clad head.

Oh damn, damn, damn it! This was bad! His papi was in charge of catching Shadow, his best friend James as some sort of sleazy criminal! He was torn between his father and his best friend, two people he loved and wished he could help both but knew that that was impossible because in the end, one of them would have to suffer.

And right, James was the one meant to suffer.

Damn, how did this got so out of control? Why must fate be so sinister! Doesn't it get enough kicks from the flames of Hell or some other place just as horrendous?

"Damn it, God why is this happening!"

"Carlos, is it true?" The Latino jumped at his best friend's voice, James now at his side with his hands in his pockets and head bowed; even if Carlos couldn't see them, he could feel James' brown eyes boiling a bright amber with anger and confusion.

The crow-haired boy blinked back surfacing waterworks as he nodded weakly in return, James' body tensing at his side.

"Yeah, the SPD now have the right to catch Shadow and charge him with armed robbery and assault of innocent civilians. I got the news flash from Damian, he saw a video Papi got from the grocery store owner showing Shadow attacking the shoppers and nearly taking the owner hostage; he escaped just as Papi's squad surrounded the place." Carlos briefly explained, James soon growling low in his throat and punching the nearest tree; his lips were pulled back over his teeth, he practically seething before the shorter boy.

"That's a lie!" He exclaimed, this making Carlos let out a frightened whimper.

"B-But bro, it looked like you; it was like seeing you in action, it was your smirk and everything!" He protested but the brunette growled again and punched another tree; his knuckles turned red in irritation but that was the least of his cares at the moment.

"And you call yourself my best friend, idiot! Carlos, that wasn't me! Do you really think I would do that, rob and hurt innocent people? Really now, who do you think I am! Shadow and I are the same person, I can't be in two places at once! The robbery happened while I was in class, I was sitting right next to you in English the whole time and I never left once during the period! It had to be someone else, someone who's trying to frame my other self for his acts! A stupid imposter, a cheap knock-off to the original! Shadow is my alter ego and there are times when I think like him, heck even become him but never has he been able to use my body! He's just one side of me, not another me entirely!" James ranted, tears of hurt and frustration soon streaming down his cheeks.

Carlos soon embraced the taller boy in a hug by the waist, James gripping at his hair and breathing off the charts; he was hyperventilating, very badly.

"There there, calm down Jay..."

"Carlos, this is all my fault; S-Shadow warned me about letting Kendall get too close, now I'm torn between who I've been for so long and who I want to be now. I-I don't want to be Shadow anymore, I don't want to hear his voice in my head anymore! I thought that if I had Kendall in my hands and found a way to keep him quiet about my other identity that I wouldn't end up being so confused! I d-don't know what to do anymore, bro! This secret, it was one of the main reasons I got close to Kendall in the first place! To protect my secret, to protect what I've built over the months as Shadow! This wasn't meant to happen, now I feel so confused! A part of me wants to listen to Shadow and get rid of everyone in my way, but another wants Kendall to stay! All of this was for the sake of the mission, the mission to keep my secret intact! But n-now...I don't know what I want! And now someone is posing as me as Shadow! Someone is pretending to me and causing trouble, causing everyone to lost trust in me! Soon everyone in Sherwood will hate me, even Damian! After finally gaining his trust and friendship, I'm about to lose it all because of this damn imposter!"

"J-James..." Carlos whispered, but James cut him off.

"This wasn't suppose to happen, Carlos! I wasn't suppose to fall in love with him, Kendall was just a person of interest to assure my secret would stay a secret! I wasn't suppose to end up loving to kiss him, to hug him and say his name! This wasn't suppose to happen, this relationship! I liked him sure, but all of this was for my secret! I wasn't suppose to love him, damn it this is all wrong! I let my feelings come out, because of him I'm confused and angry and sad! I'm feeling things I haven't felt in years, I feel awake and alive and I don't like it! See, this is what happens when people feel things! They mess up and take stupid actions! Now, I don't know what to do! Even Shadow doesn't know, I can't hear his voice in my head right now! H-He loves Kendall too, but can't help but hate him all the same because if he never, ever crossed our path then we wouldn't be in this situation!" James choked out through his sobs, clawing at his arms with dull nails over and over until red, almost bleeding scars marred his soft skin.

"James, don't say that! You love Kendall and he loves you back, there's nothing wrong with being in love!" Carlos exclaimed, though the taller boy went all deaf ear on him.

"What am I suppose to do now? Some bastard is pretending to be me, and I won't stand for that! I'll find him and kill him if I have to, no one messes with me! No one ruins my rep and gets away with it alive, I swear I'll hunt this fool down and make him beg for mercy! I'll kill him, I'll kill him!" A Shadow-like edge went to the brunette's soprano voice now, Carlos tightening his hold on the other's shoulders in comfort.

"James, come on. Let's go to my house; we'll camp out in my old tree house and think this through together, but you need to calm the hell down. Don't say crap like that, you're not a murderer and neither is Shadow; he's an angrier, more violent side of you but he's still you in the end, don't say stuff like that." With that said, Carlos pulled the taller junior to his feet and led him out of the park toward his house, James gripping at his hair still and sobbing into the other's shoulder.

...

Kendall slid to the ground and kept quiet until the two's footsteps echoed into graveyard silence, tears leaving his puffy, red-rimmed green eyes while he hugged himself to avoid breaking down in a mess of tears and agonizing bouts of screams.

He was in pain, so much pain.

He tried to catch his breath but he felt as if he was drowning; being pulled under a dark, monster-ridden sea and left to drown, drown and fall and fall to a bottomless pit.

"J-James, you ungrateful, lying two-face...! Y-You used me, you used me! Your love was all a lie, you only used me! You're a fake, a lying fake!"


	12. Chapter 12

Hey everyone. Well school is in session, meaning work and studying, exams and such. However, since it's just the first day back, there's absolutely nothing for me to do (since I'm such a OCD freak and just had to get everything done beforehand to avoid having the scramble most of my friends had) on this fine afternoon. So, here's a new 'Your Dark Knight' chapter just ready to be read; when I checked my e-mail after leaving school (finally learned how to do that on my phone, yay) and saw the reviews, and some favorites and follows, I was thrown into total content, really. Thank you so much for the support for this story and for me as well, because it is amazing and no words can do it justice to the joy and happiness reading the feedback and reactions from my kind, encouraging readers. Thank you once and here's a new chapter for you, hope you're in for some insanity because this chapter is...interesting, to say the least...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...I had this chapter short because I need to organize a few more things for class and because short chapters often built more suspense to what will happen in the plot's future; I promise, however, to try to make the chapters longer on non-school days...

* * *

The following morning James expected a few things to take place.

One, was that Kendall would know the truth about him and face him in everything about Shadow; the blonde wasn't very good at sneaking (especially when he was curious and nervous) since the brunette had sensed his presence behind the tree he had hidden behind (the brunette was a crime-fighter; stealth was something one must have to pull off a job well-done) yet James felt no fear nor anger at himself for his secret, just a numb feeling.

Two, that Kendall would slap him.

The brunette didn't flinch when the shorter boy slapped him sharp across the face, nor when he fell to his ass on the schoolyard from the slap or when the attention of all the students outside were now on them, some gasping in surprise at the happy couple's sudden violent show while others just stared indifferently. He didn't react much, only touching with his left hand the red, burning hand-shaped mark now against his hallow, dark left cheek. He didn't say a word nor looked at the blonde; what he did, however, was take Kendall's heat before fighting back with his own words.

"You two-face, lying bastard! How could you use me like that, treat me like some toy you can just play with and then throw away like trash? I can't believe you would do this to me, James! Everyone in the freaking school thinks you're a cold, heartless jerk who cares of no one but himself! Everyone says that and I thought otherwise this whole time, or at least I use to think otherwise; you tricked me, you used me, and lied to my face for who knows how damn long! Who do you think you are, to use me and play with my heart like that? I love you, James! I love you, damn it, and this whole time your feelings for me were just lies you arranged to lock me in a trap! All for a secret, a secret that I bet Carlos knows but if you could trust him, why not me? How could you do this to me, huh? Explain, explain before I break down crying and start a fight that will get us suspended!" Kendall screamed at him, bottle green eyes red-rimmed and whole body trembling with held back fear, anger, and immense sadness.

The schoolyard was silent; a pencil falling would be heard with the intensity of a raging ocean wave to the shore, no one speaking but only breathing out their sick excitement or kind shock through their noses and mouths. All waited for the taller boy's response, to see what was to happen next.

James rose to his feet in seconds, bangs (for once not dyed with a color in neon shade) framing his hazel brown eyes from sight before his thin lips parted from their hard-line to speak out for himself; Kendall had it all wrong (well, some of it wrong) but if he wanted a fight, Shadow's thoughts and feelings will happily talk back to him.

"Call me what you want, Kendall. It's not going to change anything; you went snooping around for a secret that had nothing to do with you, I had to make sure you wouldn't get the digging up done. You act as if you're the only person hurt here; you hurt me, Kendall! My secrets are my secrets, I'll share them if I damn want to but on my rules, my wishes! No one gave you the right to start snooping around on me, what trust is that? And if you think what I feel about you is a lie, then think that way! Do you think that hurts me, hurts me worse than all the lying and pretending I had to do around you? If you think I don't love you, then you really don't love me! I do love you, I've meant everything I've said to you for the time we've been together; every kiss has been real, every smile has been real, every damn thing I've done for and to you has been real! I had to choose between you and my secret, and I chose my secret because I wanted to protect you! To protect you damn it, protect you from what I am inside! A messed up, creepy freak who doesn't know who he is anymore!" James shot back, voice even and lifeless when compared to Kendall's raging, loud tone.

The blonde's tears spilled down his pale cheeks at this and he rose his hand to slap James again, yet only to result with that hand colliding with the other's chest, the thin spidery fingers gripping the dark material of James' gray hoodie.

"Y-You used me, I heard you! You only got close to me for personal interests, not because you felt something for me! You only asked me to be your boyfriend to get information about me, to prove that you knew I believed you to be...!"

James' heart raced in his chest, throat suddenly tight and dry while the blood left his face; Kendall was struggling with his words, he could see the torn expression clear in the shorter boy's eyes. He was deciding if or not to expose James as Shadow in front of the whole school, to have his other identity revealed and sure enough have the SPD called to drag him to earth's Hell.

"W-What do you mean, Kendall? You believed me to be what, or who for a better word?" The brunette knew asking this question could tip the other over the edge; it was a stupid question plus Kendall was extremely hurt (well James was too, just that he was feeling more guilty than sad) and thirsting for answers, for no more lies. This question could get him to lose his composure and tell the world who James Richard-Samuel Diamond was away from school.

The blonde took a deep breath and parted his lips to screech out, to let the world know how James was a two-face, in ways more than one.

But...

'I-I can't do it...! Why can't I do it, he's hurt and lied to me so much but...I can't find it in me to stab him in the back like he did me! How can I still...l-love him after everything he's done to me?' The blonde thought, biting his lower lip before snatching his bag off the ground and wiping at his eyes with the back of his jacket's right selvee.

"Whatever, okay? I won't tell anyone; I don't know the damn reason why I can't hurt you back, but I can't say anything that can hurt you. I can't say anything that could put you on the spot, I'm not that mean no matter how much I wish I was right about now." Kendall said, getting a cold smirk from the brown-haired junior.

"Because you're not heartless, Kendall. You can't be that mean, not like me."

"Shut up, I never want to see you ever again." Kendall whispered, trying to contain his sniffling as he sprinted away to class, bumping shoulders with his ex-boyfriend (how that hurt to think of and accept; for both boys, not just the blonde) on his way out of the uncomfortable, very awkward scene.

James didn't follow him; he just looked down at his shoes as the other walked away, sighing under his breath as...a lone tear left his right eye.

'It's for the best.' Shadow's voice echoed in his head.

"Then why the damn does it feel as if my heart just got ripped out?" James hissed back under his breath, receiving no answer as he walked past the stares and flooding of gossip around him to get to class; he needed some distraction, some time to cool down and find another more productive (and less bitter) way of resolving this situation and get Kendall back.

...

Jade was skipping down the hallway to her locker, humming a light tune under her breath as she juggled several folders and notebooks from her bag into her arms; she undid the combination and hung her lock from one of her belt hoops as she digged around the small, cramped dark blue locker for her AP Biology textbook. That's what she gets for leaving it behind by mistake yesterday.

Then, it happened.

The sweet freshman was forced hard into her locker, face front while her arms were bound behind her back and her mouth covered by a thin, black-gloved hand.

"Hmph! Hmph, humph!" She tried to scream for help, but the person attacking her used his other hand to squeeze at her neck.

"Shut up, bitch. You're coming with me, for a little joyride if you will." The guy growled, using a blindfold to muffle her shouts as he turned her around to cuff her wrists from the front.

When Jade saw who it was, her emerald-green eyes went wide in terror and shock.

A domino mask, a smug smirk in all black and with a gray utility belt: S-Shadow!

'No, no puede ser! Es el, S-Sombra!' Jade thought, her wriggling growing fiercer and fiercer as she worked to press against the locker and slam the crime-fighter (now considered criminal) off of her person; Shadow only laughed and pulled hard at her hair, her tears causing his smile to broaden.

"A bitch like you deserves to squirm and cry, you sicken me. Now, I have a bone to pick with James, and you're one of the only people that can get him to face me. Of course I would have went for that blonde boy he's head over heels for or Carlos, but you...I don't know, my hate for you is stronger so you will be the bait. Don't worry, I'll make sure that when the time comes...your death will be nice and slow, right before his very eyes."

Jade continued to try to kick, punch, and muffle out screams but that didn't stop Shadow from taking her still; with the cuffs on her wrists and her mind half conscious thanks to the blow he threw to her head, he dragged the poor girl down the hallway and out of sight, not worried since he shut down all the school's security cameras and disconnected the campus security's walkie-talkies before entering the building.

No one, not even a lonely spider hanging from the ceiling, saw Shadow drag Jade away.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello again everyone. Surprised to hear from me? Well, me too actually; it's only the second day of school and no homework was given so I have all this free time (everything else involving school already taken care of, I'm such an overachiever) and decided to write more for 'Your Dark Knight' (which will probably end soon!). But wow, over fifty reviews? Wow, that's amazing! I never expected for this story to reach that! I mean really, I can't believe so many people like, follow, view and review it, I appreciate it so much! So thank you one and all, here's a new chapter for you all to enjoy! I put in a healthy (at least, I hope) dose of Cargan and a lot of things will start to happen in this chapter! ties will be tested, danger will come and James will have to do everything in his power to keep his loved ones safe! Ready for that to come soon? Well let's start with the Cargan/Logan investigating now, shall we? Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...

* * *

"Damn, security is really tight around here." Logan hissed to himself as he hid in a camera's blind spot and ducked low to avoid yet another officer patrolling the corridors.

He was in Brooke Diamond's main company building, her office at the top while the lower levels had all the conveyor belts and product production due in a week or so; he had skipped school like he planned and headed straight here as soon as his mom was out of the house and the neighbors were at work, a notebook to record his findings, a cap over his spiky dark brown hair so if he did get caught on tape it would be harder to name him, and a laptop stuffed away into a strap bag hanging from his right shoulder.

The laptop was to send e-mails to Kendall to his phone (that was the only the blonde would respond to anything right now; he didn't use his phone much, in case James tried to call or text him. Something was wrong between them, but the genius was in the dark about that) during school, since taking out his own phone and trying to call could make noise and tip workers off that someone who wasn't an employee was snooping around the floors.

The mocha-eyed boy sighed to himself and peered around a sharp corner before running down the hallway to the elevators; he snuck in (after making sure no one was in there, of course) and pressed the button for the first floor.

He's been here since nine in the morning and nothing! All he got was walls and security guards, workers and the smell of perfumes, face powder and eyeliner (which he knew the smell of, as odd as it sounded, from spending summers with his baby cousin in Florida). Everything of a cosmetics company, except for anything or anyone connecting Brooke Diamond's empire with Shadow and his Christmas presents of the latest crime-fighting tech.

He thought he had been on the right track with this lead; all his assumptions and small gathers of evidence pointed to here...but nothing!

"Now what, how am I suppose to figure this out for my bro if I can't seem to find a solid lead? Damn it, I can't believe nothing I recorded has been of any help! I guess I'm back to square one, at least for now..." Logan grumbled under his breath, the elevator letting out a sound that resembled a home's welcoming bell as it reached the first floor and the doors opened for him to leave.

That was, until he saw who was standing out the elevator, Logan blushing a sheepish pink as he swiftly yanked off his cap and quickly hid his notebook away into his bag along with his laptop.

Well, make that two someones, not just a someone.

"Logie? What are you doing here?" Carlos Garcia asked with a small frown, the officer Damian Raine standing beside him with a just as confused expression.

"C-Carlos!"

"Little bro, you know this guy?" Damian asked, bright blue eyes like small flames as he stared coldly at the younger male; Logan flinched under the icy look but forced a nervous smile, looking from the detective to his cute Latino.

"Yeah Dam, he's my new boyfriend Logan Mitchell. We haven't been a couple for all that long, only for a day or two but we've known each for years and get along great. Ummmm Logan, what are you doing here? It's a school day." Carlos responded, first to Damian before turning back to Logan; the paler boy rubbed the back of his neck, hoping some clever white, little lie would pop into his head any second now; unfortunately, Kendall was better at this stuff than he was. Kendall was the schemer, he was just the detective.

"Ummmm, I got this place mixed up with for the library! Yeah, that's it! Kendall wanted me to help him find a book he needs for English but doesn't know where to look for it, so he asked me to scout it out for him! You know that I'm the top of my class, so missing one day won't...wait, Carlos are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?" Logan finally caught himself and asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at his now speechless boyfriend.

Carlos bit his lower lip but before he could respond, Damian stood up for him.

"My little bro has something important to tell me, about Shadow." He said simply, that catching Logan's interest; what would the junior know about the masked crime-fighter?

At seeing Logan's peaked attention, Carlos sighed and reached out to take the other's bag-free hand and squeezed it gently, crow black bangs falling over his warm eyes.

"L-Logie, there's something I know about Shadow; something I need to tell Damian...and, something I want to tell you. I've been wanting to tell you this for a while, especially now since Shadow is being accused of being a criminal. I...I-I know who Shadow is." The shorter boy whispered, though loud enough for the other two to hear him; Damian's eyes were wide as dinner plates, while Logan's jaw rested agape in pure shock.

"Y-You know, Carlos...?"

"Yeah Logie, yeah Dam. I know who Shadow is, and I promised him I wouldn't tell...but I have this feeling in my gut that something bad has happened, and whatever it is, Shadow will need help to fix it. Please, believe me on this and please don't judge me too harshly about this secret, because I can assure you two that the person behind Shadow's mask isn't a criminal, in every sense of the word he's not a criminal."

Damian sighed to himself while Logan ran a hand through his hair, a heavy silence between the three before...

"Okay Carlos, tell us everything you know. I'm here for you, little bro."

"Me too, sweetie. You can trust me with anything, I'll stand by you through it all."

...

Okay, now James was really worried!

Okay now James was really worried! He hasn't seen Jade all day since this morning before school, before his little verbal confrontation with his no longer (ouch, it hurts to even say mentally!) angel of a dear blonde lover! She wasn't with Camille in the cafeteria or Dak in the library, the two haven't see her either! What made him panic most of all, was that all her teachers reported her absent (something he learned from asking them; they may hate him, but adored his baby sister) for every class, even her AP courses!

It was like she disappeared into thin air! As if Carlos not being here to help him find her wasn't bad enough, he couldn't think of a clear idea as to her whereabouts! There was just no place he could think of that she would run off to, not on school days! The sweet girl had dreams, very big dreams to put them at risk by missing class!

'Oh damn, where is she? Jade, my baby! My little sister, where the hell are you!' James thought all panicky, close to ripping his hair out by the roots as he circled the campus five times already; no sign of green eyes or a cheeky grin, wavy black hair nor the black heavy silk of the long skirt she chose to wear to school today.

He bit back tears as he slammed his fists against the red brick wall he was slouching to, his hands turning a sickly shade of crimson from the pain and irritation working up his strong, long arms; he slid to his knees and gripped at the back of his neck, heart racing as a panic attack was building. J-Jade can't be missing, no! Hell no, it can't be that his baby sister was missing!

He lost Shane; he lost a sibling once, he couldn't handle losing another!

Besides his mom Brooke and Carlos, Jade was all he had; she was all he had left, considering Kendall ended it between them. She was all he adored besides his friends (including Damian) and his mom, plus he made a promise to her the day she officially became a Diamond.

The promise that he would always protect her, care for her and keep her safe no matter what.

He created Shadow for that sole purpose: to protect and guard those he loved, like a soldier against the Hell's war. All he wanted, if he couldn't be happy himself, was for them to be happy in his place. He has been a sinner yes, but to win the right for his family and friends to win the right to be happy; he didn't want anything if they couldn't have happiness, he knew this had a been a war against Hell that he was facing with only half of a clear head, but if love and happiness is what his loved ones needed, he was willing to put himself on the lines (moral and legal) of shot range to do what he and Shadow were made to do: make those they loved happy.

By losing sight of his one and only baby sister, he and Shadow have failed again; failed again, like they did to protect Shane.

The brunette's teary eyes left the floor below his knees to the vibrating rectangle in his hoodie's front pocket; a text, but from who?

Yet, when he wiped at his wet-streaked face and retrieved his phone to check the new message, his eyes went wide and his blood ran cold.

In an instant, James was gone and the real Shadow was in his place; his alter-ego growled as he threw the phone to the soft, grassy floor and sprinted into the woods, a secret path that could sneak him out of campus hidden there for his use in case of an emergency.

This was an emergency; an emergency that could answer the questions he and James have fought with for a long while now. The questions to who was posing as him through criminal terms, why Jade was missing, and many other things that have plagued him.

He didn't look back nor cared if he was seen; Jade was trouble, and he was going to beat the crap out of the bastard that dared to mess with what was his.

...

Kendall moved out of his hiding spot under a tree and ran to pick up James' cell-phone off the ground, cleaning it off loose clippings and broken twigs before clearing out the brunette's password and taking a peek at the message.

He saw the whole thing; James deeply upset about something, tears in his soft brown eyes before anger and lust for revenge overtook his handsome features after reading the text. Whatever it said, brought out the Shadow (the true Shadow, though the blonde had yet to find out about that) within his ex-boyfriend, the dark-hearted hero that protected Sherwood from dangers as the mild Jason Todd.

"Oh God..." The sophomore managed to choke out, skin paling and bottle green eyes losing their shine.

N-No. No, no, no. No, this can't be! J-Jade...

_Hello, hello, hello James! If you thought this was Jade, then you're pretty stupid; if you thought the person who has her sent you this via her phone, however, you're not as dumb as I thought. Listen, I'm the one who's pretended to be you (or should I say shadow?) this whole time, and I have an offer to make you: find me, look for me and you'll get your little bitch of a sister back. Don't worry, I'm only interested in you; of course I want to kill her along with that annoying cop Damian, but I want to do so in front of you, facing you again. Trust me, it will be worth it. You have until midnight tonight to find me, if you try anything she will die. Don't try anything funny now, remember that the slut's life is in your hands. Once she's gone, your friend Damian is next and so is everyone else you care about. I'll be waiting...!_

_-S, your Sin._


	14. Chapter 14

Okay sorry, forgot this chapter! Sorry again, and it's short but it describes a little Jade's present situation; just how badly treated is she by this stranger? Well, here we go! Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...

* * *

She was scared.

She was scared, really really scared; never once has she felt this fear before, this fear that her life was running on hourglass sand: it was bound to run out, sooner or later.

But she felt extremely, very scared.

"Let me go, por favor! Sueltame! Que quieres conmigo, let me go!" Jade screamed as she was carried over a male's strong right shoulder to who-knows-where with handcuffs on her wrists and a black, heavy blindfold over her emerald eyes; the guy just stiffled a laugh before throwing her hard to a concrete ground, she gasping out in pain when she felt blood leave the side of her head.

Ouch, the pain! El dolor, she wasn't use to it! It burned more than a thousand fires in Hell, it ached worse than a stab through the heart!

"Ugh! What do you want? W-Who are you, sueltame! Por favor, dejame ir!" She sobbed, the guy growling like a hungry wolf under his breath.

"Shut up, you stupid bitch!"

"Ah!"

Jade cowered against the floor as a slap hit her face, tears staining the cloth over her eyes and her soft, dark cheeks; she gasped again when a kick went to her ribs, the gag reflex kicking in as she was about to vomit.

"There now, keep your mouth shut or I'll make it hurt worse for you! Stupid bitch..." The guy repeated to himself, Jade raising her head from the floor to face the direction the voice was coming from; it was distorted somehow, as if he was wearing a voice modifier, but the male was standing over her; she could sense his shadow on her skin and smell the weak scent of black roses on his body.

"Q-Quien eres? What do you want...?" The freshman girl groaned as the kick's impact rattled the bones in her ribcage and the organs in her lower stomach; the guy grabbed her roughly by the hair and yanked her to her knees, smirking under his domino mask at the thin frown of fright pulling at her pale lips.

"You don't know who I am, Jade? Wow, you're stupid. I'm Shadow, ring a bell to ya?" He hissed venomously, she wincing when he rubbed the bleeding wound on her left temple.

"N-No, tu no eres S-Sombra! He's not a bad guy, he doesn't hurt people! Eres otro, un imposter! You are a fake, eres un criminal!" She screeched back, soon crying in pain again when he slammed her hard into the nearest wall; she toppled face down into the dirt covered floor and coughed back a choking sensation riding up her throat, the guy crossing his arms and crouching low so that they were almost at level with the other.

"Maybe you're right, Jade. Maybe I'm not the real Shadow, but what if I am? What if I've just pretended to be a goodie-goodie just so the people in this quiet, little town would trust me? Imagine what kind of power you and every other dumb person in this town has given to me, and now I can use that power to my advantage. Oh don't cry, Jade Lexis Diamond; I promise to keep your death simple and with love from yours truly, but with just enough agony for you to feel even when you're long gone."

"H-How do you know me, who are y-you! Answer me, quien eres?" Jade tried again, the guy (not that much older than her, from the pitch of his voice even with the modifier) soon barking a laugh that chilled her bones as he pushed back stray locks of her wavy black hair from her face.

"Let's put it this way: I just want you dead. And you only have until midnight to live, that's when the real show will begin. Pray for angels, bitch, pray for angels to come and save you! Because if they don't, I'm painting everything in this town with your blood! First you, then that cop and everyone else who gets in my way! All of you will pay for what you did to me, pay with your lives!"


	15. Chapter 15

Okay, it seems like this week is just intro and no work; so here I am, writing a new chapter for 'Your Dark Knight'. Before we dive in however, two things I must tell everyone. One is that I'm so grateful for the support for this story; it's the first story I've written in this style, in this way of thinking and in terms of Dominant!James, yes first time too. I also want to thank everyone for their opinion, their encouragement, their kind words and everything else (such as reviewed, added this story to their favorites, followed, or all three) that has made this story reach over fifty reviews. Thank you so much, I know I've said this before over and over but I must remind everyone how awesome and incredibly kind they have been with 'Your Dark Knight'. Second, I've noticed one or two reviewers guessing the identity of the fake Shadow; both had guessed Shane (James' dead brother) and the unknown OC that killed Shane. Well, your wait...has finally ended. Yes, it has ended because this chapter, will have the answer you all have waited for. Sorry if I didn't say anything to respond before, I just wanted to see what guesses would be made about the fake Shadow. Thank you again, and here's the new chapter...Warning: Cargan fluff, more than chapter 13, and slight Kames fluff (more on Kendall's side though, for reasons exposed in this chapter), and a lot of trouble. This story is close to ending, so let's see just what I have ready for all of you...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...

* * *

"Carlos, Carlos!" Kendall cried as he raced through the neighborhood for a sight of the hyper Latino, who was his not-anymore (ouch, once again!) boyfriend's best friend and the only person (who knew Jade well, other than James himself) he could think of to tell about the alarming text the brunette received via phone about Jade's disappearance from an unknown, yet clearly sadistic and dangerous, source.

He had to find Carlos, and now! Jade was in danger, and James was most likely walking into a trap through his cloudy conscious and furious rage! If he didn't do something fast, both could end up severely hurt or worse...

'No, no, no! No Kendall, don't think that! James can't die, you won't let that happen! You can't think like that, this is James we're talking about! He's stronger than anyone else you have ever met, he won't let himself get hurt! Him or Jade, don't think the worst!' The blonde screamed at himself in his head, bottle green eyes burning with tears.

He couldn't believe he said all that to James! He called him a two-face, he said his feelings for him were fake, that he was just using him! Sure it was like that in the beginning, from what the junior admitted to Carlos last night in the park, but...all that changed! Despite James' cold, calm attitude this morning he saw the hurt in those hazel eyes! He saw just how much he truly has hurt the other, James was just as much of a victim as Kendall was!

Secrets like that, like the types superheroes had, weren't secrets that you can just tell anybody! Because if you do, you expose them to any danger, any potential threat from an enemy of theirs to hurt you to get to them! Once a secret like that is out in the open, you can't do anything to keep it under wraps again!

And...James lost Shane.

He blamed himself over and over for not protecting his older brother; even when fate had put him and his mom in a situation which they really couldn't do much of anything, anything at all, to change the tragic outcome, he was haunted by the failure of losing his twin. Shadow was created from this failure; Shadow was made by James to make amends for his failure, by risking his life day in and day out to protect others, in secret behind a mask and only an odd name to his unfamiliar face.

All he wanted, was to make people happy and feel safe even if it was by a masked stranger; if he couldn't be happy, at least others would be thanks to his alter-ego.

But Kendall chose to not believe in him, no to not trust him; he just assumed he was the only one hurt and pushed James away, and left him cold and on his own to face this! And now, the love of his life was going to risk his life, on his own without any back-up, to face some crazy person he only wants to kill him and Jade!

James had used him yes, but it was clear that over time, those feelings of simple physical attraction grew to something deeper for Kendall. And how did the blonde know that? Because of what he said, what James said to him! Those words, they were arranged in an order to make Kendall think the other didn't care, a disguise by Shadow and him together to push him away, to keep him safe and from getting hurt again! James knew how dangerous it was for Kendall to know his other identity and be his lover. If they were still together...there was a high chance that this crazy freak, if he couldn't have reached Carlos or Jade, would have surely gone after him.

This morning, that fight...it was all a ruse from Shadow and James to protect the boy they (no, he because Shadow and James were one-in-the-same) loved and cared for so dearly. All of it was show, just to keep the real prize safe from the vultures of this hideous, chaotic world: the real prize, Kendall Donald Knight himself.

James, with little words, just pushed him out of the danger range.

"Carlos, where the hell are you!" The blonde called out again, turning a corner into the park; James once told him that this was his and Carlos' out-of-school hangout. If there was any place the crow black-haired boy would be, it was here.

"Carlos!"

"Kendall! Wait...!"

"Ouch!"

"Oof!"

Kendall was soon on his back on the concrete walkway in the middle of the park, butt sore from the fall and head dizzy from the world spinning around him; he blinked his eyes twice and rubbed his head to get everything back in check before looking to the person he slammed into, face going into a smile of pure relief.

"Carlos, thank God I've found you!" He exclaimed, the helmet-wearing Latino smiling faintly back at him from his spot on the ground too.

"You too, Kendall. Listen, we've been looking for you! There's something we need to tell you, it's about James!"

"James, what is it? Have you seen him, please tell you saw where he went! He left school because something's wrong with Jade, he ditched school and I need to find him! He's in trouble too, or at least will be! Wait, whose 'we'? Carlos, what's going on?" Kendall said, getting to his feet to see Logan helping his boyfriend up and a detective with a punk buzz-cut and bright blue eyes also with him, arms crossed and a dark look on his handsome face.

Wait, who was that detective? And what was Logan doing with Carlos? He said he got sick over the night and that's why he didn't come to school today, but it looks like the brilliant ravenette had other things to worry about than classwork and moody teenagers and teachers. Carlos too, despite the fact the boy was famous for his daredevils ways and was often out of school for some major hospital time.

So many questions running through Kendall's head. Thankfully, Logan was quick to answer them.

"Kendall, this is Damian Raine. He's a detective from the SPD and part of the squad in charge of capturing Shadow with Carlos' dad; he's the only officer who believes Shadow not to be an anti-hero and his only friend from and on the force, he also knows that...James is Shadow." Logan explained, his mocha brown eyes framed heavily by calculating, pulled eyebrows.

"H-He knows? And he won't tell?" Kendall asked, Damian shaking his head almost instantly.

"Don't worry about it, kid. S-I mean James, is like a little brother to me like Carlos is, I've known them since I was first accepted into the SPD. I respect Brooke Diamond too, because she was like a mother and mentor to me as a troublemaking teenager; I care about her and James and Jade, so don't worry because his secret is safe with me. I won't tell Brooke, even if she's been a great friend to me, that's for James to decide if she can know about Shadow's real identity or not." The older man said, Kendall sighing in relief once again that.

"T-Thank you. Guys, we need to do something fast! Jade has went missing, no she got kidnapped by someone!"

"What!" Carlos squeaked out, Damian and Logan left with their mouths agape.

"What do you mean, Kendall?"

"What I just said, Logan! James got a text to his phone from some creep who's threatening him! This guy took Jade and is threatening James, saying to find him and face him before midnight or he'll kill Jade!" Kendall rummaged through his bag before gripping the brunette's cell-phone and tossing it to Damian, who caught it with clear ease.

The blue-eyed detective scanned and read the text over multiple times, his face paling along with Logan and Carlos' as they looked at the phone over his shoulders.

"Oh God..." Was all Damian could say in reaction.

"Yes, we need to track down James and help him out somehow! I know trying to convince him to not go alone will be pointless, my boyfriend is as stubborn as a two-ton boulder but we can't just stand in the sidelines and do nothing! We need to find him, follow him at least, and come up with a plan so when things get even uglier, we'll be there to help him!"

"I know you're right, but how do we track him down? Kendall, James is probably in full Shadow mode by now! The guy's got moves of an acrobat and real bat in one, it will take a lot to find him!" Logan pointed out, though Damian heard a rustle over them and jerked his chin up.

"Not really, look who's going by treetop to wherever this guy is waiting for him." He whispered, the three teens moving their eyes in the direction he was referring to only to hold back silent gasps.

James, actually Shadow since he was donning his domino mask and all-black costume, was perched like a feline at the top of the tree, eyes focused on the woods on the outskirts of town; he seemed to not realize he wasn't alone and that others could probably sense him near, a thick firm grapple line erupting from a slot of his utility belt and clasping on to another treetop. He let out a feral growl and threw his whole frame forward, squirming along the grapple line like a spider on a thread before the others were beginning to lose sight of him again.

"Follow that anti-hero!" Carlos ordered in a low-pitched bark, Damian taking the lead with him in the middle and Logan and Kendall bringing up the rear.

"Wait, does he even know where he's going?" Logan asked, Carlos quick to answer his boyfriend over his shoulder.

"His mask, it has a tracking system hidden in the eye slits! After he's come in contact with someone, the mask records a memory file of the person and programs them into the tracking system for later use! He may not know who took Jade, but the system has Jade on file! The tracking system will pick up Jade's trail by her phone; even if it's off, it will be able to trace her exact location!"

"Looks like Jamie's got a lot of surprises on him." Damian noted impressed, Kendall soon at his side.

"He's headed for the woods outside town, come on! We can't lose his tail, we need to be there when he needs us!"

The others nodded and picked up their pace, James leaping and back-flipping over their heads as their destination was located in the dense, thick forest outside Sherwood.

...

An old abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of the town; it was once a place for storage and such, but now forgotten and left to rot among the moss and dead leaves.

The tracking system was saying Jade was here, in this old abandoned warehouse.

Shadow (the real Shadow, not that joke of a petty fake) growled as he forced back the heavy, metal front door with a powerful kick, masked eyes scouting the scene while body was tense for anything. It was half an hour left before midnight (how times flies) and there was no sign of Jade or the creepy fake Shadow.

"Well, the real man of Sherwood is here! Show your face, you cowardly bastard! Show me the girl, let her go and face me like a man! It's me you want anyway, isn't it? Show yourself before I hunt you down!" Shadow growled, hazel eyes narrowed tightly behind his domino mask.

A noise from above, the sound of sliding chains before...

"S-Sombra, ayuda por favor!"

Shadow snapped his head toward the ceiling and felt his eyes wide in pure horror and shock, heart racing fast and hard in his torso.

"Jade!"

Said girl was hung from the ceiling by heavy, rusted silver chains; they went around and around tightly about her thin wrists and ankles, head thrown back and not facing Shadow but the dark ceiling above. Her clothes were in tatters; her long black skirt was shredded to a pair of shorts barely reaching her knees, green tank top now stopping to expose her flat lower stomach. Her shoes were gone and her hair loose and long against the small of her back, teary emerald-green eyes half-hidden in fear, exhaustion and pain.

What sickened Shadow more about the sight, however, was the blood.

There was blood. Everywhere on her.

The crimson river started from her head; a thick, pouring line of red coming from her left temple. The blood continued to flow down her swan neck and collarbone, while red came from her bruised, irritated wrists; her tank top was soaked in blood, the remains of her skirt caked in blood, her dark skin and long legs just covered in blood. A red stream came from the corner of her mouth too, several large and small drops hitting the floor from time-to-time.

She was practically bathed in blood.

'Oh God, what has this bastard done to her!' Shadow heard James' voice choke in a mixture of disgust and fright in his head, the anti-hero caught between a deadly growl and building sob.

"No..."

"Feisty one she is, don't you think? Do you know how many times I had to beat her around just to get her up there? I thought, 'Wow! Maybe I should use another approach to welcome our guest of honor!' But then, I decided the look on your face was worth the trouble, huh little hero?" Shadow poised for a cheat attack to his back as he looked around for the source of the voice; the darkness, however, in the warehouse was too thick and the moon's light outside could not find a way in.

"You sick bastard! Who the hell does this to an innocent girl? Show yourself now, I have a few bones and teeth to shatter on you! Come out, let her go and face me! You wanted a beating, now you'll have it!" Shadow screamed to the darkness, Jade whimpering as the ache overcoming her whole frame released a big pulse of weak adrenaline and feeling to every nerve in her body.

The voice, another male's altered by a modifier, chuckled back whole-heartily at the threat.

"Oh but Shadow, does that threat mean you know her? Well how can that be, when no one knows who's behind that fancy boring mask you wear? Tell me, how much does it hurt you to see her that way? Would this help soothe your pain?" A clattering of a metal object filled Shadow's ears, glare moving to the long, heavy crowbar now at his feet.

A c-crowbar...

"You sick animal..."

"Hey, give me some credit now! I tried to help, guess seeing the damn thing didn't help you feel better at all huh? Well, at least it's a crowbar instead of a kitchen knife; I could have went with the plan of cutting her up and drowning what was left of her in a nearby lake or something like that, or even better! Burn her alive in this very place, all the while watching her turn to ashes as I sit back and enjoy the show!" The voice sneered.

Jade began crying softly to herself, head rolling to rest slightly against her arm; Shadow shot her a calm look, as if to let her know she was going to be okay (or he hoped she will; how she was looking at the moment dampened his spirits) before looking around again for the source of the voice. He reached into a slot of his utility belt and pulled out his grapple, eyes trained on the ground in case the darkness' face shifted or changed behind him.

"Just let her go, now. She has nothing to do with this."

"Please, a hell lot she has to do with this! Jade, little slut! Tell me, do you have any idea why he's done all this and come this far just for you, when he doesn't even know you that well?" Jade moaned a little as the chains tightened around her ankles, making her gasp out.

"Deja! D-Deja, por favor!"

"Leave her alone! You're hurting her, damn it!"

"She needs to answer, answer you stupid bitch! He can't help you since he needs to go through me first, but at least be nice for once and answer when you're spoken to! Come on, sweet little slut, answer!" The voice sneered, Jade crying out again as the chains snuck deeper and deeper into her skin.

"N-No se, I don't know! He's a hero, heroes always help those in need! El tiene corazon, no como tu!" She worked pass her lips. The chains loosened and allowed her body to drop a little out of the tight grip they had her in, she sighing and struggling to breathe evenly.

"Oh, so close Jade! But no, that's not why he's here! Sure he's a goodie-goodie and all, but behind that mask is someone you love! Someone you care about very much, someone you call... your Estrella prehaps?" At this Jade gasped and forced her tired eyes to fall upon Shadow, who's masked eyes were slits now.

"Mi 'Estrella'? Pero asi le digo a...James? Hermano, e-eres tu...?" She asked, the idea now settling in as the truth when Shadow met her gaze...and said the one thing that she loved being called by from her big brother. The little nickname, and one of the many things he knew in Spanish as well, he gave her the day they met all those years ago.

"Jade, my little angel..."

"J-James."

"Aw, what a touching family reunion! The gang is all here! Well, except for Mom, that is! Still, it's nice that we're finally together, brothers and sister, after so long of a wait!" The voice said, warehouse lights suddenly bursting on to life; Jade groaned and closed her eyes while Shadow rose a hand to shield his masked ones, focus now on the person standing proudly on the one of the support beams to the warehouse.

Tall and thin and a teenager like him, wearing an all-black full body suit with a domino mask over the eyes, a gray utility belt around his waist; the only difference in their attires, however, was the fact his mask was outlined in red instead of black and was like a cowl, hiding his hair and a great part of his face.

Shadow stood his ground as the imposter dropped down to the floor in a graceful leap, both now standing only feet away from the other.

"Who are you?" Shadow growled, the fake sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Really now, haven't figured it out yet? Well, let me help you; I died in a car accident, or at least that was what everyone was made to believe, about two years ago. In California, while I was riding in the family van, with my mother and my baby brother..."

Shadow's eyes widen and instinct made him take a step back, Jade looking just as taken back as he.

"W-Wait...Shane?"

The fake Shadow smiled and removed his cowl and separate mask, throwing them to the floor while blinking twice his eyes to adjust to the lighting of the room; they were big, deep, wide and a boiling brown, amber or hazel in a new, thick concoction. His hair was chocolate-brown but a tad longer than Shadow's (James') short do, long enough to brush his swan neck, while his skin was a dark caramel. One of his eyes though, was heavily scarred. A short yet deep and narrow scar fell over his right eye and lid, it a dark red and stitched all sloppily with many twists of black sewing thread. Some of the skin of his eyelid was gone completely, revealing the white, roundness of his right eye and the hidden blood vessels around the retina.

James felt his stomach lurch and heart stop, vomit and sweat working his whole body from the inside out.

I-It can't be...

"S-Shane."

"What's up, baby brother? Oh, hope you don't have any late plans for later on tonight, 'cause you and me and Jade are gonna have a hell of a fun time!"


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone! Ready for more of 'Your Dark Knight'? Well I hope so, because it's time for a new chapter! First, thank you to everyone for reviewing; some were surprised that the fake Shadow is Shane while others should pat themselves on the back for guessing correctly! Thank you so much and sorry for keeping you all in the dark for so long, but I wanted this story to have a few interesting twists! Today and possibly tomorrow I'll update (the weekend will be for my other stories) and I hope everyone is ready for them! Also, one reviewer is curious about how Shane is alive. Well this chapter will have it explained from our fake Shadow himself! Judge if his reasoning is fair or not, it's how he thinks and he may or may have a point in his thirst for revenge! Okay well enough waiting, on to the chapter! Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED!...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...! Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...! Sorry for my cheerfulness, I was just finishing up a small watch of Batman and Robin!

* * *

This...this can't be real.

It had to be some sick joke or something, a nightmare that he was trapped in! He and his innocent little sister!

And yet, James knew that for this nightmare, he was wide awake and not in a sick, twisted dream.

"Oh what's the matter, Jamie? Surprised to see me?" Shane Dylan-Nicolas Diamond asked in a fake concerned tone of voice, his brown eyes that matched James' in every way but color gleaming with sadistic pleasure; his eyes...they were the wrong shade of brown. Instead of a sweet, warm amber stone cut neatly in two, they were pools of bitter, dark chocolate flames.

"N-No puede ser! Esto debe ser una broma de mal gusto! Shane, you can't be the one mucking up Sombra's honorable name! You can't be doing this, to your own hermano! Tu sangre!" Jade shouted at him from above, the once believed deceased older twin glaring up at her with a sinister sneer now on his thin, pale lips.

"Shut up, you stupid slut! It's your fault I'm like this now, your fault and James'! The two of you have the blame, and so does our bitch of a mother!" Shane growled back, the black-haired girl flinching when he slammed his fist into the nearest wall; it left a dent in the metal bigger than both James and Jade's heads put together.

James allowed Shadow's animal instincts to take over his body, frame poised and tense while his thoughts (it's better if he does the talking, since his alter-ego was silently cursing his twin to Hell) continued to part free from his mouth.

"O-Our fault, Shay what are you talking about?"

"Please, don't act stupid James!"

"Don't call him that, eres un monstro! No tienes alma, ne corazon!" Jade exclaimed, green eyes suddenly fierce; no one, and she really meant no one, talked to her big brother like that!

Shane smirked and flipped a switch on his utility belt; the chains began to pull sharply and snake up more towards the ceiling, Jade soon screaming as more blood oozed through the small cracks of the clasps around her thin, bruised wrists.

"Gah!"

"Stop it, Shane! She's your sister and I'm your baby brother, we're your family! Why are you doing this, how can you hurt the people who love you!" James and Shadow were on the same page at this point, their joint rage making the words burn and sizzle like acid in the air. Shane looked from the painfully squirming girl over their heads to his living, younger-looking mirror image, his smirk exposing his white (not to mention beastly looking) brilliant teeth.

"Please, don't make me laugh! You along with this whore and Mom are the worst of the scumbags in this sick world! Y-You two chose her, over me!" James' eyebrows pulled together in confusion, hands held up in a low-leveled surrender pose as Shane started to circle around him like a predator getting prepared to pounce on a future feast.

"What are you talking about, Shane?"

"You and Mom, you guys wasted no time replacing me! As soon as I was considered dead by those idiot cops back in California, you two brought in this slut and made her part of the family! My family, I didn't give you two damn permission to do that, she deserves everything I've done to her!" Shane choked out with a loud, booming howl of a laugh; his dark brown eyes, harden dramatically.

James kept his masked eyes on his twin, fists gripped tight as he circled the other in the opposite direction.

"Shane, you're wrong! We didn't replace you!"

"Shut up!" Shane threw out a sprint followed by a swift punch, nearly catching James open for a very bad scratch if not for his alter-ego's cat-like senses; he blocked with his arms and leaped back a safe distance away, fists up and feet light on the floor.

"Don't lie to me, you good-for-nothing bloody traitor! You and Mom, you guys only spent months looking for me! Not once did you think I survived! That day...I realized that you were my enemy, Jamie! You, I don't get why the hell God spared your sorry ass that day! He spared you, and left me to die! The accident, our family van toppling over the bridge towards a watery grave. Mom tried to grab us both but...I saw the look in her eyes, you were the one she wanted to save, not me! You were always her favorite, while Dad was the only parent who loved me! She saved you and both of you were out of the water, leaving me trapped in the car to die! I screamed and screamed, you looked back but Mom just kept pulling you along to the police, while I...was thought to be dead." Shane spat out, chest rising and falling as his anger flooded the blood in his veins.

Jade listened with wide eyes, James not lowering his stance but shaking his head in protest.

"That's not true, and you damn know it Shane! Mom was torn over thinking you were dead, she cried for days and nights, months and years! Two freaking damn years, we've searched and called and looked and begged for people to help us find you! We cried tears of blood, thinking and having nightmares of the day we lost someone we loved, Mom's eldest son and my big brother!" James shot back hotly, tears burning the back of his eyes.

No, Shane had it wrong! James loved his brother more than anything!

He use to be his only role model before his "death"; after their parents' divorce, Shane was all James had for a friend (since this was before he and Carlos started talking) and a mentor in a way. Shane, in their father's eyes, was the perfect son and everything the younger brunette could never be: a true child prodigy, one with smarts and looks than just looks alone. As a child, James strived and dreamed to be like his brother so he could loved and appreciated by their father too. Yet when Shane was lost that day, their father grew cold and mean and rejected James more than ever, he seeing nothing but a fake Shane before his eyes.

So it only made sense that James found acceptance, respect and love in his mother.

Brooke Diamond never judged James for how he dressed or what his hobbies were; she supported his unique taste in clothes (before and after losing Shane) and loved the fact he had a passion for singing. She loved his lusts for Drama and the Arts, had the same obsession with her hair and appearance like he did, and both were just simply easy-going and very friendly despite the status they had thanks to the family business of cosmetics raking in big money. When James and Shane's father rejected him, their mother did not.

But that didn't mean she prefered him over Shane! Unlike their father Allister, she had no favoritism in her! Losing Shane...tore Brooke apart and made a piece of her die that day; not only was she very overprotective of James now because of the creeping fear of losing her other son in another play with fate, but she fell into a deep depression that to this very day, was only handled well due to the medications her doctor had prescribed for her well-being two years ago.

And when they adopted Jade, Brooke improved.

It was like getting the chance to be a parent all over again; Jade was the daughter she never had and the girl was good for both her and James. In a way, Jade was like Shane and James in girl form: she was often shy and very quiet like the eldest, yet fun-loving and very energetic like the baby twin. She too had experience with losing dear loved ones, so the three (the boys' father lost touch with them permanently after Shane's loss) leaned on each other and helped each other get through an extremely difficult time.

Yet...that didn't mean Jade replaced him! Everyone is unique and special, that included Shane in the world! Jade was a great sister and all, but not a day has went by that James hasn't stopped to mourn and miss deeply his twin brother!

Shane's cruel howl broke his twin from his intense train of thought, a...trigger caught between his pointer finger and thumb; he had a loaded gun pointed at James.

"Please, I'm not falling for that. Look what that watery pit of Hell did to my face! I'm a freak now, ugly and hideous and just plain monster-looking! You, your face is perfect! It's not fair, it should be my face unmarred, not yours! It should have been you to burn and sink that day, that way Mom would have felt the same misery I felt when you two forgot about me! After night fell, I washed up on shore. No one helped me, I was on my own. I stole and attacked anyone who got in my way; after I had everything I needed, I came back here, what was once my home. When I saw the town going nuts about this Shadow anti-hero, I knew right off the bat it was you. It just seemed like something you would do: you were always a failure, so you decided to get some accomplishment using an alias! You were nothing as yourself, so making a second identity was the next best thing, huh? Well, it worked for me too; since we're identical twins, all I had to do to steal your alter-ego and turn the town against you was copy your suit, steal your tech funds and info, and just fill in as you. Ha, people here are stupid! They so easily turned on you! Especially...Kendall Knight."

At this James' frame went stiff, Shane grinning harshly at seeing he striked a nerve in his baby twin brother.

"You didn't think I didn't do some research on you, did you now? To know your enemy, sometimes you must become your enemy; or your enemy's shadow, in this case. I've watched you two lovebirds very closely, since the day you got the guts to talk to him; when I noticed you struggling to decide on telling him or not, I thought it was the right moment to make my scene. Once I had everyone thinking I was you committing crimes throughout Sherwood, all that was left was for you to be pushed to the edge; the SPD at your heels seemed too easy, yet effective all the same. So, now you get it? This whole plan, it's a revenge plan I've prepped for the last two damn years! Think of it: I kill the whore who robbed my place in the family, I kill my so-called baby brother, then I go after Mom and the one person he loves most of all: his Kenny Rabbit! I lost everything that day, so it's only fair you lose it all too, James!"

'No, Kendall! Esta en peligro!' Jade thought all panicky, though she looked down at her big brother when he growled and pressed a button on his belt; all the exits and possible escape routes blew up from the smoke explosives he had thought ahead to place all around the warehouse before entering, the doors and windows now sealed off with no way out but to survive or die.

"You won't hurt Kendall; you won't hurt my friends; you won't hurt Mom, and you won't hurt Jade anymore. If it's a fight you want, Shane, it's a fight you're gonna get. We'll fight...until one of us is left bruised, bloody and standing."

"Estrella no, por favor no! Te puede matar!"

"Shut up, you slut! This is between brothers, no room for a bitch like you to talk! Well, well, well! If it's a beating you want, baby brother, then it's a beating you'll get! Come at me, watch me knock you out cold!"

'Kendall, if I am forced to make a split decision to save both Jade and Shane without time to save my own skin, I hope that one day, even if you don't love me anymore, that you can forgive me for everything I've put you through and done to you. And please, don't forget that...I love you.'

And with that, the bloody brawl between brothers had begun.


	17. Chapter 17, Pt 1

Yay for Fridays! And with the holiday coming up, even better! That means I can update my other stories! But first, a little more for 'Your Dark Knight'! The end is near, everyone, and let's see who survives the fight! Question is, will it be fair considering it's brother against brother? Will no feelings of regret linger, and will the anti-hero hungry for revenge win? Or the true hero, the hero with a dark yet caring heart? Note: I **HIGHLY** recommend listening to the song 'Angel with a Shotgun' while reading this chapter's first and second parts; it sets the mood perfectly, plus it inspired this chapter's birth as well! Well thank you to everyone who has reviewed!** I dedicate this chapter to the following: JamesxKendallxKames3, LoveSparkle, Barbed Wire Halo, annbellex2, the guest reviewer Layra, YAOI addicted Kat, my new friend/fellow author Kamesplus61, and everyone else that has reviewed, added to their story alerts and favorites this story! Also thank you for following and/or adding this author to your favorites as well! It's an honor to have my work liked by brilliant and other talented, kind writers! **Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED!...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...! Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...! Again sorry for my cheerfulness, I've been watching too much Batman and Robin! Oh, this chapter will have two parts, so be ready for that too, just a reminder! Sorry if the action was lame, I'll need to work on that more! Other than the song, many Batman episodes and games inspired this, so props to Batman for being such a cool and awesome well of motivation!

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"Damn it, James has sealed the place off! All exits and windows, gone!" Logan hissed as the four coughed and squinted their eyes to see through the white, heavy smoke... that the factory was now a closed cage match.

A closed cage match, between once close identical twin brothers; one fighting for revenge due to the supposed wrongs done against him, the other a dark heart struggling to make sure the survival of his other sibling was possible for a reality.

"How the hell are we suppose to help out now?" Damian asked, Carlos silent as he blinked back tears.

"I-I...can't believe Shane is behind all this; James has prayed to find him alive and well all this time, for some miracle or sign to let him know his brother wasn't dead, when this whole time Shane has plotted to kill James..." The Latino whispered, puppy brown eyes dark in sadness; Logan frowned and gathered the shorter boy into a loving embrace, Damian turning to Kendall.

"Kid, we can't just stand here and wait for James to take down Shane; that guy's dangerous, he may have some traps set up."

"I know, I know! Wait...! James blew up the doors and windows, but not the vents! Look!" Kendall soon exclaimed, pointing over their heads; there was a small, square chute with a barred mouth over the remains of what used to the warehouse's main door, a fit kind of tight but big enough for maybe a teenage boy to crawl through slowly.

Damian smiled, "Good eyes, Kendall. One or two of us have to go in and help out James; the least we can do is rescue Jade, I'm sure Shane's too focused on his brother to really pay any attention to her at the moment."

The blonde bit his lower lip lightly before he walked over to Logan and Carlos, the ravenette genius trying (yet failing) to console the boy now crying fully into his chest.

"Log, you and Carlos stay out here. Use your phone and get the SPD on the way here; tell them Damian's in some trouble, but he found out that there has been a fake Shadow freaking out everyone in Sherwood. Tell them he's went after him and met the real Shadow, and needs back-up to catch the copy-cat."

"B-But Kendall, you and Damian going in there alone? It's suicide!" Logan protested, but the blonde soon grabbed him by the collar of his turtleneck, forcing Carlos to let go of his boyfriend as Kendall's bright bottle green eyes glared hotly into those of rich mocha brown.

"Logan, the love of my life and one of my best friends are in danger! I hurt James, I left him alone to face this when I promised him that I would always be there for him! Jade doesn't deserve to be in the middle of Shane's rage, neither she nor James have the fault for what happened to him! James did all this to protect me; I should have listened to his half of the story before accusing him of the stupid stuff I said to him this morning! And now, Jade is paying for something she didn't do, Shane's lost it and what he's doing is wrong! I love him, Logan, I can't live without James! I need to save him, I need to show him how much I love him and how sorry I am for ever thinking all he wanted was to use me!" Kendall screamed into the other's face, Carlos and Damian watching with wide eyes.

Logan bit the inside of his right cheek before sighing and pulling out his cell-phone, a smirk soon on his lips.

"Well, what are you two waiting for? Get Jade out of there and do what you can to help James, we'll get the police down here in no time! You heard me, now go!" He said to Kendall and Damian, who both grinned at the spunky response; that was what they wanted to hear!

"You heard my man, get my bro and sis back! Don't let Shane see you, but don't let him win this either!" Carlos added, already speaking rapid Spanish into Logan's phone as his Papi answered on the first ring.

Kendall and Damian saluted them both as if in the army, before starting to climb up the debris for the vent, the sophomore's heart racing fast in his ribcage.

'James, hold on! Both you and Jade, hang on because help is on the way!'

...

Jade sobbed quietly to herself as she watched Shane and James try to beat the crap out of each other.

Jade sobbed quietly to herself as she watched Shane and James try to beat the crap out of each other. She flinched and held back a blood-curdling scream as Shane blasted his two guns after his evading twin, cowl laying abandoned on the floor still yet his red-lined domino mask was now secure over his dark brown eyes. James leaped back and forth, ducked and twisted his lithe body mid-air to avoid the bullets but knew it wouldn't be long before he would get a wound to the back or shoulder; he rolled behind a large stack of crates left forgotten in the warehouse and crouched low to lean against their wooden frames, the showers of used bullets dying in sound as Shane paused his rampage.

"What's the matter, Jamie? Scared, and deciding to run away and hide? Well too bad, Mom's not here to save your pathetic ass this time around! Come out, you bastard!" Shane roared, packing his firearms away into his utility belt before jumping high into the air; he did a few spins through the air before thrusting out his feet in a double set of kicks, James watching his brother's shadow grow over his hunched form.

James smirked.

"I'm not scared of you; and I don't wish to be like you, anymore..." He said in a low voice, before he swung around and threw out a swift fist to the other's chin; Shane growled and tackled his twin to the ground, both struggling to dominate the other while James choked on the blood threatening to spill out of his mouth when Shane nailed him so hard in the ribs that he heard (not to mention felt) three break and one shift out of line to poke against a lung.

"Ugh!"

"How does that feel, huh? Nice, isn't it? The feeling of pain, of absolute agony inside and not able to do anything about it. That's how I feel every time I look at my face in a mirror, hideous and helpless because I can do nothing to change it, I can't fix what you did to me!" Shane withdrew a knife from his belt and stabbed it into the ground, missing James' left ear by only centimeters. James' breathing was shallow but he glared coldly at his older-looking mirror image with sharp masked eyes.

"You're not my brother, Shane; you let anger mess with your head. You say it's my fault you're like this, but really you have no one to blame but yourself. You let yourself turn into this monster, this ugly thing that can't find fault in himself but in everyone else. And you know what? I'm...not scared to die, I don't care about dying or living. Because, as long as Jade is awake and alive, as long as Damian has his family, Mom keeps us in her heart, and my friends and Kendall to have in memories as I fade away, I can die tonight and I wouldn't do anything to change that; if it's God's Will to take me, then who am I to defy His Wish?" James spat into his face, smirking when he saw the other's teeth clench below his lips; the clear sign of Shane's temper reaching boiling point.

"You know nothing of God's Desires!"

"And neither do you, Shay. I admit there has been things I've done that I'm not proud of, but I know what I'm trying to win in this war: the safety of my sister. And that's something, no one will deny me of!" Shane's face went into complete surprise when James used another smoke explosive and disappeared from his hold in the misty vapor, the older twin pulling out his fully loaded guns and blasting away holes into the thick fog.

"It's gonna take more than some smoke and mirror tricks to get to me, Jamie!" The other roared, body tense as he circled around the fog to try and see a movement of another body.

"Maybe you're right, Shay. But I'm not just smoke and mirrors! I don't use old tricks anymore!" Shane soon released out a gasping groan as he was body-slammed into one of the metal support beams of the warehouse, James yanking hard at his hair and restraining his arms to his back.

Shane's nostrils flared as he licked the blood dripping from his sore gums and shot his twin a cruel grin over his shoulder, seeing James holding one of his fallen guns to his right temple.

"Ha, so what are you waiting for? Shoot me, idiot! Pull the trigger and end me, isn't that what you wanted? To beat me to a bloody pulp for what I did to that whore, that slutty little bitch that deserved every welt on her body from the crowbar? Isn't that what you wanted, Shadow? Then go ahead, do it and shoot me! I'd like to see you try, see if you're really a man!"

'Do it! Jade's a bleeding mess because of him! It's time we settle the score; he's our brother but a lunatic, a sick in the head criminal who's tried to frame us! He deserves to die, it's time we sent him to Hell!' Shadow's hiss echoed in James' head, the brunette wincing as he tried to organize his crossed emotions.

Shane, he's done more trouble than he's worth; he's beaten Jade almost to death with a crowbar, has attacked innocent people of his town using James' Shadow persona, and threatened to kill Damian, Carlos, their mother and Kendall. He has caused so much pain, so much heartache, so much misery to those who have done nothing to deserve it.

But...

"I'm no murderer." James said through gritted teeth, he catching from the corners of his masked eyes of...Kendall and Damian walking quietly, slowly along the support beam over their heads to reach a now unconscious Jade, the chains making little to no noise as the girl's frail body moved weakly through the air.

He tensed but knew he could do nothing to stop them; saying anything or doing a sudden, strange action would tip his older brother of intruders to their showdown, and that won't stop him from blasting everyone to a blood bath in here.

Best play the deception card.

"Easy now, slowly pull her to you and once your hold is firm, shift her to me." Damian instructed the nimble blonde as he worked the chains loose and leaned up and over the support beam's edge on his tip-toes to get a hold on Jade's slender waist; the girl flinched in her pain-induced sleep but showed no other reaction, her blood getting on Kendall's plaid green shirt and jeans as he wrapped one arm around her scrawny shoulders to cradle her head to his chest, the other below her knees to keep the balance.

Kendall nodded in return, fighting back tears as he passed the red-stained girl into the hotshot detective's own warm embrace, Damian cupping her cheek and kissing the top of her head lightly as he too fought his own waterworks.

"Oh God, this creep's done a number on her. Don't worry, Jade, I'll make sure you're treated as soon as possible; my promise to James." He whispered into her hair before he gestured for Kendall and him to get down and out of sight. They can come back and help James once Jade was with Carlos and Logan, out of harm's way.

"I know Jamie; I know you're no murderer. You were always a good boy, no matter how vain and shallow people thought you were. Only Mom and me could see the real you, you're no murderer." Shane's voice was soft and light, James' heart pounding even harder now.

T-That, was the Shane he knew! That voice, it was his brother's!

The Real Shane...

"S-Shay?"

But then another cruel smirk touched the other's face, dark brown eyes sparkling underneath his red-rimmed domino mask; Kendall gasped with wide eyes as another knife, though this time part of Shane's belt, caught James right in the middle of his stomach. The younger twin's eyes were wide as dinner plates, blood and bile flooding his mouth and tongue while chokes of pure pain and self-frustration cut off air escaping his bruised lips before his frame collapsed to the ground, black body suit going dark with pouring crimson.

"I, however, am no weak saint like you. Being a sinner, is much more fun!" Shane laughed as James convulsed and went into a fit of spasms on the ground, he spitting in his direction while he held up his guns to tower their open mouths over his baby brother's crippling body.

"I've waited so long for this; and yet, I think we should have the fun last a bit longer. First, let me get rid of my shadow..."

"No, James!" Kendall couldn't stop himself from screaming out the other's name, tears now down his cheeks; Shane looked up with a sick giddy smile on his face, masked eyes on the blonde like a heavy spotlight on a defenseless, small baby deer.

"Aw, Kenny Rabbit came to save his Joker! Well, bad move cutie!"

"Ah!"

"No, Damian! Jade!"

Kendall watched in horror as a bullet pierced Damian's right shoulder; the bright blue-eyed male gasped and let out a scream before losing his balance on the support beam and toppling down hard into the crates. He had thought quickly and wrapped Jade tight in his arms to avoid her receiving more abuse but the fall left him unconscious as well, a trail of blood running down the side of his head while several other gashes bled on his legs, arms, and collarbone.

"Damian!" Shane saw the opportunity; he sprinted over James' fallen form and climbed the support beam with the speed and skill of a puma on a hunt, he trapping Kendall's neck with one hand while the other pressed the shorter boy's body to his from around the blonde's midriff.

"Let go of me!" Kendall exclaimed but soon paled when two guns were pressed to his shivering skin, one to his throat and the other right on his chest, over his quivering heart.

"Tsk, just play along okay? This is all for fun, it's a game! Jamie, look who decided to join the party! You broke my rules, baby brother; no one else apart from me, you and Jade were allowed to attend this party!" Shane spoke to him like an insolent child pretending to be an adult, James forcing himself to lie on his stomach and, with one hand trying to stop the flow of blood, looked up through his masked eyes toward his brother's voice.

His face lost all color at seeing his precious, dear angel in a wicked demon's hold.

"No..."

"J-James!"

"Your choice, baby brother! Jamie had a little lover, who's pretty neck was in a noose! For every second Jamie lives, Shay plays a deadly tune! You lived through this before, here's a second chance for the thrill! Your head or Kendall takes a permanent nap!" Shane digged the mouths of the guns deeper into the blonde's flesh, Kendall swearing they were now licking at his hopping pulse and frantic heart.

"N-No, James don't listen to him!" Kendall fought back, though Shane only laughed again and rolled his eyes.

"Your choice, baby brother! Your head, or his life! Take your pick!"

Kendall could see the confusion and anger and pain flashing as torn expressions across James' hallow face, the fallen hero panting heavily as more blood left him.

If he listened to Shadow's voice in his head, Kendall would die.

If he listened to his heart...then, Kendall would be spared, and Damian and Jade, in exchange for his and Shane's lives.

Listen to Shadow's orders once more, or for the first time listen to his heart...?


	18. Chapter 17, Pt 2

Hello. Sorry; I had an insomnia episode last night and am very tired (not to mention drained since I had a few hospital check-ups very early today, intake of medicine for the cold I now have, and for the months of restlessness now in the past) so I cannot say much but thank you to everyone who reviewed the recent update to 'Your Dark Knight'. And because I listen to my fellow authors in concerns to what makes them happy, this chapter I hope pleases everyone. Thank you again for the reviews, here's a new chapter, hope you all enjoy it. Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...

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In this line of work, James has seen many things and has felt many emotions.

He has seen people get beaten or nearly raped, kidnapped or tortured, many methods of the criminal minds to break and tear away pieces of the innocent.

He has seen many tears, many rivers of blood, and has seen many faces of anguish or agony upon those kind faces of men and woman, small children and young adults alike, who have been caught in the undertow of the evils and vines of the chaotic world.

When it came to feelings, he hid them well as Shadow but felt them thick under his skin; anger, lost, confusion, misery and sadness, all these emotions he bared for those he saved and for himself and his alter-ego even. Shadow was born from these emotions, thus he was more stronger in carrying them than James yet he still felt pain, felt sensations that reminded he was still human, he was part of a human mind, body, and heart.

And in this line of work, James has been forced to make very difficult, life-changing decisions.

Keeping his secret from his sister and mother; forced to have two faces instead of one in society; made to hide his broken spirit behind up-to-date tech and a domino mask, to redeem himself in some way to help those around him, even if it meant pretending to be another, to protect those and prove to himself he could make a positive change in the world, even when he couldn't control the always haunting slaughters in his own personal life.

Shadow played a big part in deciding those steps; he thought with a cool head and a calculating brain, everything and everyone a piece of an equation or puzzle he needed to solve to pass on to the next level of his crime-fighting life. He rarely let the heart interfere with his finishing verdicts, but when his guard slipped and his mind was overpowered by the heart, he took the rare opportunities to let what was inside him guide instead of what he had in his computer-like memory.

And one of the decisions he has learned to take in this line of work? What was one of them, one that laid out the way he handled things in the end?

The decision: to sacrifice everything, everything, for the sake of the mission.

Even at the cost of his (and James', for he guarded his more sane, innocent self with his soldier's will) own life.

For the first time, however, he allowed James to listen to his heart and will for the sake of the mission.

James (Shadow letting him call the shots this time) took in a sharp breath as he rose to stand on his feet, hand wrapped tightly around his front still to stop a bit the flow of blood leaving the large gash in the middle of his stomach while his masked eyes remained focused on his twin brother Shane holding Kendall hostage.

Blood left his mouth and bile threatened to ooze off his tongue and through his teeth, yet he managed a weak grin to his pale, split lips.

"M-My choice, right? My head or Kendall's life? All in my hands, just like you said, Shay. Well...how about, I choose neither?"

Shane smirked coldly at the response, his thumbs loose yet still near the triggers of his guns.

"Well, that's a stupid answer, Jay. So, before I knock out the lights for your cute little blonde boy toy, any last words for him? Don't worry about a thing, I promise you two won't be separated for long! I'll make sure you join him shortly after he stops breathing!" The older twin spat, Kendall's bottle green eyes only on his lover.

"J-James!"

"Last words, huh? Well how about...that I'll see you in Hell, big brother!"

"What!" James pulled out a switch from his utility belt and clicked the dark red button at the top, smirking all the while; Shane screamed out in pure agony as an electric current shocked every nerve, skin pore, and muscle in his body, causing him to loosen his stance and giving Kendall an opening to escape; the blonde stabbed his elbow in Shane's stomach and ducked from his hold, staggering a little but managing his balance on the support beam.

"G-Gah! What the hell? What did you do, you bastard!" Shane roared at James, who was moaning and convulsing in pain as well as he too suffered about fifty-thousand volts coursing through his brain and down to his heart. Through the pain however, James smiled and pointed to his all-black body suit; tiny, blinking and beeping black-and-red chips swarmed him like an army of fire ants to an apple core, all glowing blue as electricity pulses left them vibrating and trembling against the brunette's spandex clad skin.

"Small shock wave chips, my newest tech upgrade; fifty-thousand volts ranging up to scale every passing 5.3 seconds. They pack enough force to take out a full-grown bear, or in this case, two "6'3" teenage boys. Not only that, but these chips set off the hidden explosives I placed everywhere within the warehouse. You didn't think I let you beat the crap out of me for nothing, or did you?" Shane's masked dark brown eyes were wide as saucers before he collapsed to the ground from another strong, mind-blowing shock; James took his chance and forced his body to sprint toward his fallen brother (no, his fallen enemy) and land on him at the ribs.

Shane gasped and spat out a bit of blood when his baby brother's steel-toed boots came into contact with his chest, James tearing off both of their masks so that their gazes were locked; there was no mercy, no guilt in James' eyes, only Shadow-like anger and rage.

"Who's scared now, huh!" Shane choked on air as a punch met his face.

"Tell me, who's scared now!" Another blow, this time to his jaw; his teeth fell to pieces, chippings now littering the floor.

"I'm not scared of you!" A sickening crack filled the atmosphere while Shane cried out his agony at another broken rib; James didn't look haunted with remorse, though.

"I'm not scared, I don't run away and hide anymore!" A fist to the neck, bile and blood lining the inside of Shane's throat.

"I am the nightmare, I am the black-hearted hero!" A kick to the groin, followed by a kick to the stomach.

"I am Shadow, Sherwood's Dark Knight!" A finishing blow to the head, and Shane Dylan-Nicolas Diamond (or Sin, as his alias from the text he sent to James via Jade's phone) was unconscious, breathing deep as darkness overwhelmed his mind and body.

James breathed hard through his nose before sighing and rising to his feet, his face losing its steely expression as surprise and fear took over him.

He wasn't one to kill, but that didn't stop his and Shadow's joint rage from knocking his once dearly missed brother out completely.

"I'm no hero, but I'm no killer either..." Soon, he gasped sharply and fell to his knees, the shock wave chips now kicking in to level four jolts.

"James!" Kendall was down from the support beam and at his side in mere, short minutes, the blonde's watery eyes on his brunette lover's hunched form while he wrapped his arms around him to help him up again, his blood along with Jade's staining the younger boy's clothes.

"James, come on! We need to get out of here, take Shane to the SPD and clear this mess up once and for all!" He exclaimed, though the other soon shook his head.

"No, it's too late now."

A domino set of ear-shattering, ranging blasts soon rocked the warehouse, fires and sparks shooting across the ceiling as the crates blew into rains of sharp, wooden stakes through the air; the shock wave chips were setting off the snap wave explosives!

"The explosives, they're going off! Come on, James! We need to help Shane and get the hell out of here!"

"No, you need to leave. Now, Kendall...!" James snapped back with a glare, Kendall's expression lost and confused now.

"W-What? And just leave you here? Don't be stupid, James! I'm not going anywhere without you!"

"I knew you'd say that." James retracted his grapple from his belt and hooked it to the front right pocket of Kendall's soiled light blue jeans, the gadget shooting out like an arrow to cling to the mouth of the vent the blonde and Damian had snuck in through; James switched on the second hook and untangled himself from Kendall's hold to hook it to Damian's belt, the young hotshot detective still out of it with an unconscious, bloody Jade in his hold.

"I knew you'd say that, so I'm taking matters into my own hands."

"J-James, what the damn are you thinking!"

"I'm thinking...that I'm listening to my heart for the very first time, Kendall. And what my heart is telling me, is to save those that matter the world to me. I placed an explosive frequency hacker outside the warehouse so you, Damian, Jade, Carlos and Logan will not be affected by the aftershock. The grapple will send you three out, while I deal with Shane in here." James said.

"N-No, that's suicide! James, don't! I love you, you can't do this to me!" Kendall pleaded over the roar of the red and orange flames thirsting to engulf them, tears streaming down his cheeks; James gave him a sad smile and walked over so that he could cup his face and press a quick, yet sweet and loving kiss to his pale, full lips.

"I love you too, and...we, me and Shadow, are sorry for everything we've put you through." With that, James switched on the grapple; it pulled at Kendall's jeans and yanked his whole body off the floor and dragged him through the air, Damian and Jade along with him through the vent.

"NO! JAMES!" Kendall screamed with outstretched hands; his voice echoed throughout the vent's metal walls as more blasts and smoke-filled winds filled the warehouse, his only sight of James being a smiling face and a pair of masked eyes.

...

"What the...!"

Logan was quick to pull Carlos down and cover him as an explosion came to be and rattled the ground below them and the warehouse before them, streaks of sparks and flames lighting up the dark, lonely sky but no more harm was done to and around them.

"NO! GUYS!" Carlos and him hollered, watching with horror-filled eyes before...Kendall, Damian, and Jade were sent flying down on top of them, a little scratched up but otherwise untouched from the blasts. Damian soon regained consciousness and stood up long enough to move a half awake Jade into Logan's arms before collapsing to his knees again, Carlos moving to help Kendall up while the blonde held a broken, tear-stained look on his pale face.

"K-Kendall, what happened? Where are James and Shane? What happened in there, what caused those explosions? Kendall, can you hear me! Answer me please, what the hell happened!" The Latino choked out, yet as he took in those green eyes staring mournfully at the now in flames warehouse, his heart sank to his stomach.

"J-James, he didn't...did he?" All that came from Kendall were heart-breaking cries and sobs as he finally broke down and stained Carlos' right shoulder with big, heavy tears; Logan blinked back his own waterworks as Jade fell to hysterics and screamed and cried for her fallen hero, Damian clenching his fists tight and closing his eyes while Carlos hugged Kendall and cried along with him.

"No, no puede ser! James, no puedes esta muerto! HERMANO, REGRESA POR FAVOR!"

"I-I can't believe he's gone. Shadow, James, they were the best; they were better than the very SPD, they knew right from wrong better than the idiots I work with..."

J-James, no! This can't be happening, this has to be a nightmare!"

"B-Bro..."

"JAMES! COME BACK, DAMN IT! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD, YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! COME BACK, COME BACK DAMN IT!"

The approaching sirens in the distance signaled the upcoming arrival of the SPD cruisers, Damian sighing as he spotted the red-and-blue lights piercing through the arms of the lonely trees.

"Back-up is coming; this will be a lot to explain."

"They came too late." Kendall said bitterly through gritted teeth, eyes leaving Carlos' shoulder to stare at the flames; Jade hid her face behind her bloody hands and leaned against Damian for comfort, Carlos and Logan holding on to each other as if they were each other's only lifelines.

"W-We better calm down, so that the SPD doesn't get too suspicious of us being here." Logan suggested, the others soon turning their backs to the warehouse when...

"No way." Damian broke the silence, his sudden speaking up causing everyone to look at him questioningly and turn back to the fire; Carlos and Logan gasped loudly while Jade stared with wide eyes in a mixture of disbelief and relief, Kendall finally finding his voice among his sobs.

"J-James...?"

Through the darkness and red-orange hellfire, a tall moving shadow could be seen pushing pass the heated metal and sizzling rubble.

"Hermano!"

"H-He's alive!"

"And has Shane!"

Sure enough, James emerged from the hellfire, his arms full with Shane's feeble, still unconscious but living body. The younger brunette was in worse shape than when he had been in the warehouse pre-explosive rampage; A large part of his suit had been blasted off, his upper chest and stomach area exposed while cuts, bruises, welts, and bleeding gashes littered his toned abs, strong arms, and firm chest. His boots were gone so he limped all barefoot, belt hanging loosely around his slender waist, remains of his suit clinging to his legs and hips. His mask was on but one slit was burned off to show his tired, left hazel eye; his face was untouched and not marked with scars, hair all messy but still intact.

Blood and lightly burned skin covered him from head to toe, his breathing rough and sharp but he...he was alive.

He was alive!

"JAMES!" Kendall cried out in pure bliss this time, James nodding weakly in response before he crouched low and gently laid his older brother's body down to the ground, exposed eye swollen and irritated from the smoke yet wet with a tear or two.

"Hermano, estas vivo! Gracias a Dios, estas vivo!" Jade exclaimed, everyone smiling though soon losing them when James merely walked toward Damian; his expression was unreadable, a clear sign that right now, Shadow was in charge.

"J-James..." Damian choked out, but a Shadow smirk touched the brunette's face.

"Do me a few favors, Dam. When the SPD are finally here to investigate, tell them everything you know and have seen tonight but keep Shane's identity a secret, mine's as well; I don't want everyone in town to know that I'm...that James is me. Convince Officer Garcia that Shane is to be taken to a mental hospital for rehabilitation and intensive care, make sure an alias is given to protect his identity; have Jade taken to Sherwood's nearest medical center for her injuries and for a few sessions of intense therapy, to help her recover emotionally and mentally. I want you to personally contact my Mother and tell her the truth, don't worry because we, James and I, will be present to explain more in detail. As for Carlos, Logan and Kendall, take them with Jade to make sure they're physically okay and try to keep them from getting hound by other officers or sleazy reporters looking for a story; we don't need the spotlight on us." Shadow said in a crisp, professional tone of voice; everyone stared at him, but Damian swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yes sir, whatever you say."

"Thanks, and please don't call me sir. It makes me feel old, Shads is better."

"Sure, Shads."

"I need to get going, the SPD and I are still rough partners, so it's better if I'm not around for now." With that, Shadow turned on his heels to use his spare grapple and leave the scene, when Kendall's hand around his wrist stopped him mid-leap.

"J-James, wait! You're hurt, and you're innocent! You have to stay and tell the SPD the truth, don't let them just believe something and then find out weeks or months later that what they knew was all a lie by a fake Shadow! Plus, they'll believe it more if it comes from both you and Damian! Please, you're bleeding too much! You can die!" The blonde pleaded, the masked boy turning to him with a new, special smile; it was James' and Shadow's signature smiles joined together, meaning...the two were no longer split personalities in one body, but one soul and heart in unison.

They were one, two sides no longer.

"I know that, but...I'm an anti-hero, Kendall. To me, it doesn't matter if the world is against me or not; what does matter, is that everyone I care about know the truth and that you are safe, because you are everything I have. You're safe now Kendall, that is all this anti-hero wants and can ask for. God...did justice tonight, not me. He made this possible, because He knew that without you, I wouldn't be alive right now." The brunette replied; he pressed a quick kiss to the blonde's forehead before doing a few quick back-flips until he was at the edge of the warehouse's roof. He smiled again and waved to the others before disappearing among the black smog, his outline soon out of sight.

Kendall watched him leave, watched for several minutes before Damian placed a hand to his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I called ahead to a good friend to help him. Come on, we need to face the SPD in Shads' stead." He whispered, a smile on. Carlos and Logan smiled as Jade sobbed happily, she not really caring that James has been forced to take off; all that mattered was that he, and Shane too despite the harm he has done to them all, will not be going to the skies any time soon.

Sherwood's mild Jason Todd was alive, and he wasn't about to go away. He was here to stay.

...

James was soon on the ground, breathing raspy while blood continued to leave him.

"Hold on, Shadow. You have some serious injuries, but I'll do everything I can to help save you." A young man with dark brown hair and olive-green eyes hovered over the fallen hero, James smiling under his mask.

"Thanks Jos, I knew Damian chose a good guy to be his boyfriend. Do what you can, okay? I leave my dying life in your hands."

"Don't talk like that, you're gonna be okay, I promise."

"I know, just that sometimes I like to be dramatic."


	19. Chapter 18, Pt 1

Hello everyone. Just thought I'd update after homework and chores, back in the school groove but since there are only three chapters left in 'Your Dark Knight', I believe it is the right moment to post up the third-to-last chapter; the next one is the last followed by an Epilogue, which I hope everyone is eager for since I think it will make people very happy. But first...Thank you all SO much for the support. I can't believe this story has reached this point, I can't believe that I'm stuck for words. Of course I'll save the tearful good-byes to this story in the Epilogue author's note, but thank you all again for the support and now, I present chapter eighteen of 'Your Dark Knight'...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...

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'I can't believe how life's gone back to normal so easily, when only a month ago my friends and I were close to getting killed in a Hell of flames.' Kendall thought to himself, sighing through his nose.

It's been a month since the explosive showdown at the warehouse. That night followed Kendall like a ghost for the last several weeks; Damian had managed to hold down the fort with the SPD, telling them about the fake Shadow (without revealing Shane's true identity) that was behind Sherwood's mild Jason Todd's sudden change of heart and Jade's disappearance (again, without revealing her connection to Shane) from school, how the real Shadow (James, though that information was only known to Kendall, Damian and the others) came just in time to stop a potential tragedy from taking place only to leave before the SPD arrived in fear of being seen as a criminal still.

Though thanks to Damian's report and the others' testimonies, Officer Garcia dropped the charges against the masked brunette.

In fact, he even issued a public apology to Shadow; the SPD's head gruffly recognized the mysterious teenage crime-fighter as an enforcer of justice, and that if Shadow ever needed back-up at a crime scene or support for a case he was working on, the entire Sherwood police force would be more than willing to corporate in keeping the streets clean and people safe. Damian was promoted to second-in-command to Officer Garcia and his squad, still a private detective but now playing a larger role in his criminal justice career. Thanks to him and the SPD, Sherwood no longer feared Shadow; the anti-hero (heck, no more of that! The whole town sees him as their own personal Batman!) has won the trust and true respect of the people again, they once again saw him as good instead of evil and looked to him to protect and guide them when all hope was lost.

But...Shadow hasn't been seen in over a month or two.

Many people were wondering where the masked boy went, everyone except for those who knew him behind the mask and/or were there that night at the warehouse. Kendall knew the truth: James' wounds, though tended to in time to avoid death by Damian's long-term boyfriend Joslyn, were still life-threatening to land him in the medical center. He (without having to explain the fact that wounds like the ones he had were only possible for Shadow, not a normal junior in high school) and Jade have been out of school for intensive care and emergency stitches, like for the large tear he had in his stomach and the cuts his sister had on her arms and ankles from the chains. They've kept in contact with their teachers for work and such, but the blonde hasn't seen his brown-eyed lover since that night.

And he had no idea when James and Jade would come back to school; the one time James contacted him (and Carlos and Logan, Damian the one who passed on the message to them for James via e-mail) was strictly about Shane and only Shane, who was now in a mental hospital for rehabilitation and some long, intense emotional reconstruction. Of course the eldest Diamond child (and twin to James by heart and soul, despite their strained relationship) wasn't enlisted under his real name, but it was another tag to keeping an eye on him a more manageable pro than con.

Kendall sighed as he looked at the front page of the town's newspaper, smiling slightly at the expressive, bold letters: **Shadow, Our Jason Todd: A Mystery, A Mask, But Also A Hero.**

"Looks like everything's the way it should be now, huh James?" He said to himself, a lonely gleam in his eyes; as much as he was happy to know his boyfriend (well, hopefully his boyfriend again since they never really talked about getting back together or not) wasn't seen as a criminal anymore in his hero persona, he really missed him. This month of not knowing how his condition was now or hearing about him and Jade, was quietly yet swiftly killing the younger boy inside.

'Well, I guess I still have my drawings of him to look at. Still, I'd love the real thing...' The blonde thought sadly to himself, his gaze still focused on the newspaper on his lap that only when a familiar voice echoed across the schoolyard that he looked up, heart racing a mile a minute for some reason.

A familiar voice, a familiar female voice to be exact.

It can't be; wait, could it...?

"Mama, don't worry! We'll be fine, in fact we're happy to be back at school!"

"Angel's right, Mom. Hospitals are so bland and boring, plus just plain depressing to me; I'd take school over being strapped to a bed and put in a paper-thin gown any day, I swear this on my grave."

An older woman's voice soon answered the other two, Kendall's heart threatening to burst out of his torso when he recognized the girl and boy's tones almost instantly; was it...them?

"James honey, no swearing on your grave please; you almost gave me a heart attack from everything you've told me about...our now family secret, so hush. Jade sweetie, remember that if you two start to feel bad, at all during the school day, to call me at work so I can get over here in a heart beat. The doctor said it was safe for you two to go about your normal routines but to not risk yourselves either, call and I'm here, okay?" The girl giggled while the boy merely sighed in feign annoyance.

"Yes, Ma'am. Promise not to kill ourselves, okay?"

"Te doy mi palabra, Mama. Hermano y yo will be okay and safe, promise-promise!"

The woman let out a chuckle, soon gasping in surprise.

"Oh hey, Kendall! How are you sweetie, I have your number now thanks to my little Jamie! I'm planning a special dinner this weekend, don't forget okay? I want to formally meet your mother and baby sister, I'll be sure to call her later today to make plans! Oh I can't wait, you make my baby boy so happy! Thank you, and I hope to get to know you and your family better this Saturday!" Brooke Diamond exclaimed from the driver's seat of her big, dark gray jeep (wow, not the kind of car you'd imagine a cosmetics Queen to drive around in, but it's still pretty cool) with an ear-to-ear smile, shining brown eyes on the now blushing blonde.

The two children, a tall junior with brown hair and a small freshman with black hair, turned to look at the person their mother was addressing, soon big smiles (a cheerful one from the girl, a flirty one from the boy) touching their lips.

I-It was...!

"J-James? J-Jade? You guys, a-are here?" Kendall choked out, bottle green eyes now wet with tears; he rose to his feet on jello-shaking legs, whole body trembling as he wobbled over to the two, Brooke waving to them quickly before taking off out of the school parking lot.

"Hello, Lindo! Oh that dark blue button-up really brings out your eyes, and your skinny jeans show off your figure nicely! You look so cute!" Jade squealed, hopping up and down like a bunny rabbit as she skipped over to the older (and a little taller too, but not by much!) boy and threw her arms around his neck in a big hug, Kendall too stunned into silence to say anything. Jade...she was okay! She had a few bandages around her fingers, elbows and slender hips but all were hidden well by her Batman hoodie; she had a band-aid on her left cheek and one at her bruised temple, though her long hair framed her rosy face and her emerald eyes gleamed with joy. She wore a long black skirt, lined with yellow to match her hoodie, with yellow tights and black sneakers, backpack on her shoulders and Batman-themed gloves on her small, thin hands.

Kendall soon had the action to hug back, though when the two pulled away and he looked at the brunette behind Jade, his lips parted yet nothing could jump off his tongue still.

"Well, I see you're happy to know we're alive. Of course, the tear in my stomach is permanent and sometimes hurts when I do my usual workouts, but other than that I'm pretty much intact. Jade here is in perfect condition, thank God; she didn't need as much stitches and crap as I did. And she's right, you're looking really cute today. Then again, you always look cute to me, hot stuff." The brunette boy said, big hazel eyes sparkling from behind his thick-rimmed, black glasses. He was tall and a junior, warm dark skin with a toned body and soft chocolate-brown hair; he had a few band-aids on like Jade did, on his left cheek too as well as one over a cut on his neck and one under his chin, but no bandages in sight. He too wore a superhero-themed attire: a Superman hoodie with dark blue jeans and a pair of all-black Vans, school bag thrown over one shoulder and a choker with the Superman symbol hanging loosely around his swan neck.

"Y-You..." Was all Kendall could say, Jade giggling to herself while James merely grinned back.

"Con permiso, I can see you two want to be alone. Oh, there's Dak!" Jade kissed each boy on the cheek before running off to her best friend (and boyfriend, but James doesn't need to know that just yet) and jumping into his arms, the blonde and brunette soon left alone.

"I-I can't...believe it's you." Kendall managed to say, running a pale hand through his shaggy, dirty blonde hair while trying (and failing) to hold back his waterworks; James' eyes softened and he tugged at the hoops of Kendall's jeans to pull him closer, one hand to the blonde's face while the other on his left hip.

"You didn't think I was going to die, did you? I promised you, that I would always be there to protect you; just like you promised to never, ever leave my side, I made you a promise and it's a promise I intend to keep." James began, when Kendall slapped him across the face out-of-the-blue; the brunette's expression read shock and annoyance, he rubbing at the now bright red mark on his band-aid free cheek.

"Hey, what the hell was that for!"

"For scaring the crap out of me back at the warehouse! I was scared you left yourself to get blown up, I swear that if I hadn't been freaking out in relief, so caught up in the moment, that you and Shane made it, I would have killed you myself! You hear me, James Richard-Samuel Diamond? You can't leave me even in death, because you're mine forever and if you ever, EVER, do that again then I won't hesitate to knock the singing daylights out of you! You hear me, hero or not, I can be your worst nightmare!" Kendall screamed into the other's face, hands gripping the front of James' tight-fitting hoodie and pulling him close so that their faces were inches apart.

James felt a little scared at the threat but once seeing the dull pain and content in Kendall's bottle green eyes, he smiled gently and nodded, cupping the other's face before molding their lips together for a much-needed kiss.

Kendall's anger faltered at the brush of their lips; he closed his eyes and pressed his body into the taller boy's, moaning and shivering when James' fingers danced on the small of his back before engulfing him in a tight, warm embrace; the blonde worked his fingers though the other's soft hair until the need for air made them pull away, Kendall's face a tomato red while James' cheeks were colored a brilliant pink.

"I'm sorry, Kenny Rabbit; I'm truly, very deeply sorry for everything I made you go through. I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry I hid my other life from you, and I'm sorry that I didn't trust enough the most beautiful, amazing, talented and gorgeous person on this entire planet but please believe that I love you. I fell in love with you, Kendall Donald Knight; you're everything I want, I need and even if my life was at risk, I would gladly do what I did that night again if it meant keeping you safe. I love you, I love you, I love you." James whispered, Kendall's tears no longer of ache but bliss and overwhelming emotion.

"S-Say that again, please..." He said, James chuckling at the shyness of the blonde as he soon ravished Kendall's face, cheeks, chin and neck with pecks, nips, and butterfly kisses.

"I love you, Kendall Donald Knight."

"I love you too, James Richard-Samuel Diamond." Kendall moaned softly when James kissed his pulse point, the blonde forcing his eyes open so that he met the other's loving stare and could snuggle into the James' strong chest.

"I love you, with all my heart." James said, breathing in the sweet scent of Kendall's baby soft skin.

"Please, I love you more; more than you can ever imagine." Kendall challenged with a grin, James returning it with a sneaky smirk.

"Really now? No, no, no. I love you more."

"No, I love you more."

"No, I love you more."

"I love you even more, more."

"Okay, we get it! You two are lovebirds again, just please don't do that! Those types of arguments never end!" The couple pulled away from each other to see Carlos and Logan standing there holding hands, Carlos making a fake gagging face while Logan rolled his eyes playfully at his two best friends.

James' smirk was still in place as he pulled Kendall close again and rested his chin to the top of his head, working a pout to his lips.

"Hey, it's not my fault I have the hottest boyfriend ever, plus 'Kames' rocks." James said simply, Kendall blushing at this; so they were doing mash-ups of their names, like those celebrities do when in a relationship?

Oddly, he liked the sound of that, very much.

"No offense to Ken, but Carlos is the hottest boyfriend ever." Logan protested, said Latino now red in the face as his child prodigy of a lover kissed his forehead tenderly.

"No, 'Kames' is better."

"Please, 'Cargan' beats 'Kames' by the mile!"

"No, you're wrong, Big Time Brain!"

"Sure, whatever you say, pretty boy!"

Kendall and Carlos looked at one another between their playfully brickering boyfriends, sighing and laughing among themselves.

Yep, everything was back to normal.


	20. Chapter 18, Pt 2

Hello everyone, nice to be here again. Sorry for the long wait; me being a geek and going ahead and doing all the work for my AP classes (I'm sure others have started too, but I'm happy I finished it all in one day) but I am now here to present the second-to-last chapter of 'Your Dark Knight'. Next is the Epilogue, which I think (well, more hope) everyone will enjoy despite it being the official end to the story. Thank you all for the reviews for the previous chapter, good to know my readers are pleased and that Jade is liked (she's the most likable of my OCs, plus I try to fit her in as best I can with the guys, mostly more with Carlos and James though since they share a close brother relationship) so thank you all for the reviews, the favorites, following this story and now I present to you to the new chapter...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this update...I have to say, do not worry about the aftermaths of everyone's lives; all will be explained and revealed in the Epilogue...Oh, please if everyone can, send me a PM or tell me in a review if Kames should have a boy child, a girl, or both!

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Some people say that cloud nine is all a ruse of words; happiness so strong that makes one feel as if they are in Heaven, all fake and smoke and mirrors told to those who wish to see the world in a different light, a more positive and non-realistic light.

To some, immense happiness only comes with a life's precious birth or peaceful death.

Well, if someone told Kendall Knight that the happiness he was feeling was just a ruse of cloud nine, he'd slap them silly.

Slap them silly he would, because right here right now he was the happiest he's ever been, in his entire young life.

"See, there's another star. Looks like it's a shower tonight." James whispered to the smaller, younger boy at his left ear, the blonde blushing with a cute shy smile when the brunette worked kisses down his neck.

James and Kendall, after a long Friday of school and work, had left to the woods for a night picnic (made and set up by the "unknown" crime-fighter, with a little help from Logan, Carlos and Jade of course) and to gaze up the dark sky, which tonight was sprinkled with falling stars, a ghostly full moon and silver-lined dark purple clouds.

The two rested on a crimson-red blanket James had packed away under his seat in his truck, on their backs with eyes up toward the beautiful sight in the sky; Kendall was sprawled on top of James, head snuggled into his chest with his arms were around his neck, legs aligned with his hips. James had an arm wrapped around the smaller boy so to stroke Kendall's right hip, legs spread arrow-straight out under him while his free hand stroked through silky strands of shaggy, dirty blonde hair.

"Did you know tonight would be a star shower?" Kendall asked, sitting up so that he straddled the brunette's lower toned stomach, hands resting to his chest. James grinned at him, big hazel eyes sparkling from under his thick-rimmed, whole black glasses.

"Maybe, maybe not. But you know what, I think they're falling on purpose." James mused, Kendall raising a bushy dark blonde eyebrow in confusion.

"On purpose?"

"Yeah, because they know we have wishes, wishes together, and with them falling those wishes may come true." James responded, smiling as he sat up as well and cupped the other's face; Kendall let out a soft mew when James kissed lightly his lips, the tip of his nose, soft cheeks and chin before pecking his neck again, the blonde arching into the other's form and letting tears well in his eyes.

James felt those tears work down his Superman hoodie but only smiled into Kendall's hair and continued to press kisses everywhere he could reach. He worried not for those tears, but his blonde beauty wasn't in pain; he was happy, really happy, just like him.

"I love you." Kendall finally choked out, pulling away to wipe his tears and smile at the brunette; James' eyes softened and he smiled lovingly back, tracing Kendall's face with one thin, spidery finger.

"I love you too, te amo pero mucho, mucho. And...because I love you, do you want to know a wish I have? A wish that both of us have a part in?" James asked, Kendall not saying a word though the look in his eyes begged for the answer; the taller male sighed lightly and chuckled, hands soon traveling to rest over Kendall's almost non-existing stomach.

"That in the future, you are the 'mother' of my children." James whispered, Kendall's breath catching in his throat.

C-Children, them together in the future? With a f-family, really? James wanted to have a family with him?

"R-Really, Jamie? Us, together as a family? You'd want to m-marry me?" James looked at him as if he just asked him to prove the world was really round and not flat; did he really need to respond?

Judging from the doubt overtaking Kendall's facial features and bright, bottle green eyes, the brunette decided to.

"Yes, I do! You sound surprised, Kenny Rabbit! I love you, I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you, and I'd like you to be the 'mother' of my children! You, only you and no one else! I love you, this Joker can't live without his Kenny Rabbit, please say you'll have me!" James exclaimed, his calm composure gone to be replaced with concern.

M-Maybe Kendall didn't want to marry him in the distant future, was this just a fling for him?

Kendall, however, started to tear up again and laugh; he pushed the older boy down to the blanket until his back met the cloth again, James soon closing his eyes in bliss when the blonde (being dominant for once, too!) began to ravish his mouth, whole face, forehead and neck with kisses, pecks, and nips of his own. The brunette shivered and gasped at the sensations, foggy gaze meeting the equally clouded green stare over him.

"Yes, yes I'd marry you! And to have a f-family with you too, it's been my dream for years! I love you, I love you!" The shorter, slightly smaller boy shot back, smile reaching his grinning eyes. At this James grinned back, eyes a bit wet but sparkling with the same glee as he reached into the picnic basket a few hops away and pulled out...two silver promise rings, their elegance and beauty making Kendall gasp with a heavy blush on his pale, hallow cheeks.

"Then, will you say to wear this until the time comes? Promise that you'll be mine forever, that these will keep us together until we are really married?" The brunette asked, taking the blonde's left hand to slip the ring on; Kendall just nodded with another beaming smile as the silver ring touched his soft skin, James staring at the temporary symbol of their love with complete adoration and affection; he slipped his own ring on and kissed Kendall passionately, the shorter boy responding with as much eager.

"I promise to love you always, and that one day, you'll be my Kendall Donald Diamond-Knight." James said when he broke the kiss, raising one hand up while the other baring his ring rested over his heart; Kendall chuckled again and kissed the other's slender eyebrows, nodding and parting his lips to reply.

"I promise to love you every minute of every day, and one day, stand by your side, my James Richard-Samuel Diamond-Knight." James smiled at those words, Shadow's voice a light hiss in the back of his head.

'He really does love us, you, me. We have to promise to take care of him always, no matter what.' The alter-ego chided to his more innocent, kinder side before his voice was lost throughout James' mind again, the brunette nodding at this; yes, he promises to care and love Kendall always and forever, no matter what.

"This means we are unofficially engaged. Well, until I get the real rings of course, but you're still mine so if anyone makes eyes at you, they're going down." James warned, Kendall playfully rolling his eyes; leave it to the teenage superhero to add some silly humor to a sweet moment. Still, James' dry humor was something Kendall loved about him.

"Promise, only if I get to act all possessive over you if some guy or girl makes a move on you; you're my man, and that is a fact no one is going to change." Kendall added, James smirking at this.

"As if I could want anyone else; you're everything I need and more. You're perfect, amazing and just plain beautiful. More beautiful than any famous actor or fancy cover girl on this planet."

"Stop it, you're making me blush!"

"Everything I want, my angel from Heaven; thanks to you, I didn't let myself get blown back at the warehouse because I had a reason to live. My reason is you."

"Stop it, Jamie!"

"So shy sometimes, but that's okay; you're adorable with that down-to-earth personality, and with your super soft, light pink lips and fuzzy eyebrows; your silky blonde hair and pretty green eyes, the most amazing green in the world; your strong chin and baby soft skin, perfect inside and out, in body and mind and soul."

"Joker, stop!"

"My beautiful, hot, smart, sweet, sensitive, funny, sexy Kenny Rabbit."

"James!" Kendall exclaimed all embarrassed, hiding his face behind his hands; the brunette chuckled to himself before leaning down to snuggle his face into Kendall's stomach, sighing contentedly once more.

"Just one question: if we have ourselves a little girl, can we please name her Miranda? I've always liked that name, and I'm sure that if she turns out to look anything like you, Kenny Rabbit, she'll be the most beautiful, most precious little girl to ever exist." James pleaded with a pout to his lips, Kendall running his fingers through the high school junior's soft chocolate-brown hair.

"Sounds like a nice name for a girl, but if we have a boy instead, I want us to name him Jayden. I've always liked that name for a boy." Kendall responded, James nodding.

"Whatever you say love, but I know one thing: whether it's a boy or a girl we have, I'll be happy because you'll be their 'mother'. Miranda Lee-Angela Diamond-Knight or Jayden Mauricio Diamond-Knight, whether we have one or both, I know they'll be very happy."

Kendall smiled at his lover's words, soon looking up towards the sky as more stars shot across the dark, purple clouds.

'Yay, one wish we wish with all our might; one wish we hope comes true one day after tonight...'


	21. Epilogue, Pt 1

Well, here we are: 'Your Dark Knight', the Epilogue. Can I say...this story has made me very proud, and has helped me grow as an author over time of thought, planning, and work? Well, I want to say: THANK YOU EVERYONE...! Thank you everyone for supporting this story; it's been an adventure writing it, it's been a challenge for me (but a good challenge) and I'm looking forward to see...if this story may continue on? Not sure, that depends on my readers/reviewers/those who follow/those who added this story to their favorites and what they may want from this ending after all...I, however, still thank everyone for the support, for giving this fic a chance, for being there to encourage its growth for so long. Without further delay, here is the end (first half) of 'Your Dark Knight'...Note: This takes place about thirteen years later...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this last update...Note: This Epilogue was very long in its original design, so I have decided to split into into two parts! THIS ISN'T THE FINAL CHAPTER, JUST THE FIRST HALF! SORRY, BUT HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY IT FOR NOW, AND GET READY FOR THE PART TWO LATER ON! SCHOOL HAS MADE THINGS...A LITTLE DIFFICULT...! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

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(Thirteen years later...)

"So class, an epithet is a literature term in which a phrase or word replaces someone's name or can highlight a quality or trait of the person that stands out above all others. An excellent example would be Athena, who's usually refered to as 'The Gray-Eyed Goddess'. Of course epithets are used in almost any kind of writing now in modern times, but it is seen a lot throughout the works written for and based off the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses."

'Really now, must we go over this? Papa's an English genius, I learned this during Pre-K thanks to him! Sometimes I wish I could skip a grade and get into high school early; I'm smart and all, but to leave my sister behind in school? Ah nah, not going to happen! Why am I even thinking of that, anyway? Nevermind, brain! Let's just focus on Miss Jeans' boring lecture for a few more minutes, then we're done! It's Friday, so trying not to fall asleep in class is worth it! Especially in my last class of the day!' A thirteen-year old boy thought to himself tiredly, blocking a loud yawn with his left, spidery hand before looking down at his notebook and pretending to take notes.

Sure, he loved English and all (especially since he was an honor student and one of the top five in the class) thanks to the shared passion with his papa, but it's tedious to learn about something (again!) that you've known since you were six or so; still, if it meant he would be ahead of his classmates on homework, then it's not so bad after all.

Yet if only Miranda had this class with him...

...

"Hey Cecil, have you seen Mira?" A girl, soon to turn fourteen and a freshman in high school, looked up from her book to the brown-haired boy addressing her; he was rather tall and thin for his age, with dark chocolate skin and soft, shaggy cocoa brown hair. His face was overall sharply chiseled for one so young yet very cute: high cheekbones, delicate lashes with a strong chin, arrow-straight nose with a pale mouth and soft lips, yet his eyes were the most captivating of all; they were an impossible shade of bright midnight green, so alluring and pure with no distracting drops of light blue or hazel-gold in sight.

The girl named Cecil smiled with a faint shake of her head, the green-eyed brunette sighing with a slight pout to his lips.

"Sorry Jay, haven't seen her. I thought she'd be with you...wait, is she at a Track Meet today and you just forgot again?" Cecil mused playfully, her best friend of almost forever (not to mention her younger and only boy cousin) glaring mildly for the witty comment.

"Shut up, Harper-Piper Bird; I so didn't forget last week!"

"Really now, since when using my middle name a strong comeback? You know adding the 'Piper Bird' part doesn't help you much either, right? And the only reason you didn't forget last week was because Miranda didn't have a meet, genius; both of you were sick with the flu, remember?" Cecil pointed out, chuckling when the younger (by a few months, yet the obvious height difference between them can say otherwise) child only scoffed back.

Cecil Harper Mitchell-Garcia wasn't really his cousin by blood; the brunette's dad and papa were best friends (since like, childhood) with Cecil's papa and dad, who were his uncles Logan and Carlos Mitchell-Garcia. She took more after her dad (Logan) in facial features and appearance than her papa (Carlos): very thin, pale vanilla skin with short, spiky dark brown hair (yet it was a faint blonde at the tips thanks to hair dye, the spikes giving her a punk rocker look) and a pair of big brown eyes; they were, however, a sweet deep tumbleweed crème than her dad's natural, dark mocha. She inherited Logan's height (though was shorter than her brunette cousin by three inches) and often OCD-style of thinking, though her bright smile and crazy sense of humor were Carlos' all the way.

The two, along with the brunette's sister Miranda, were cousins yet were brought up like siblings like their parents before them; only difference was that Cecil was an only child.

"Well whatever, so she could be at a Track Meet right now? I thought this Friday she had off, since the coach is out-of-town for that big convention..."

"Jayden, you know your sister; when does she ever leave any free time for herself not set aside for Track, homework, the Photography Club and afterschool Dance Class? I swear that if she didn't have you and me, she'd book herself with things to do until she drops dead on her feet." Cecil said, Jayden Mauricio Diamond-Knight rolling his eyes but lightly nodding in return.

As much as he didn't like to admit it, his cousin was right; his sister was like Papa or Uncle Carlos, always eager to try something new even if her plate was too full for extra helpings from her already packed schedule.

"Still, I'd thought she meet up with you here in the schoolyard; I got that new superhero DVD she's been wanting to see, bought it myself just for her, and I was hoping the three of us could watch it today. I've got nothing to do for the weekend." Jayden mumbled, a little sad.

Cecil smiled lightly and wrapped an around the brunette's shoulders, not completely having to stand on her tip-toes like Miranda to reach the brunette.

"Hey, cheer up Jay! Maybe she got caught up in her Law and Justice class, probably still talking to Jack Seams again! You know she's been crushing on him for the past two years!" She chided, Jayden soon chuckling at this.

"Come on, chica, no way my sis likes him! I mean, she's so sweet and nice, and he's...well not a bad guy, but kind of rough around the edges, you know? No, I'd like Mira to find a guy who doesn't look like he'll kill anyone who talks to him; I'm not trying to sound judgemental or anything, but he kind of scares me!" Jayden replied, though a girlish shriek left him when a pair of arms suddenly went around his waist.

"WHOA!"

"Gotcha, big bro!"

Jayden tuned out Cecil's hushed laughs as he rubbed at the bright red, embarrassed blush now coating his hallow cheeks, lips and eyes tight as he glared at the giggling girl before him.

"Not. Funny. Miranda Lee-Angela!" He exclaimed, only succeeding in making said girl giggle more while Cecil's laugh went to a full-blown Joker-like cackle.

Miranda Lee-Angela Diamond-Knight only smirked and rolled her eyes, linking her right arm with Jayden's backpack free one.

"Sorry Jay, but I couldn't resist! If only you saw your face just a few minutes ago, priceless!" She apologized with a puppy-eye look to her face, the brunette pretending to be cross with her while he gently toyed with her hair.

"Yeah yeah, now you'll have to sleep with your eyes open at night, sis! I'll get you back before you can say 'Kid Flash'!" Jayden retorted, though the threat was said with a smile.

"Sure big bro, that is if you can catch up to me!"

Miranda Lee-Angela Diamond-Knight was Jayden's twin sister and the second girl of the three, ten minutes younger than Jayden and (along with Jayden) about four months younger than Cecil. She was small and thin and way shorter than Jayden, just tall enough to reach his torso at best; she had long, dirty blonde hair that cascaded down the small of her back in a messy low braid (a look she adopted from Aunt Jade) with soft, pale peach skin and a dimple in her right cheek when she smiled. She looked more like Papa than Jayden did yet inherited their dad's hypnotizing, mercury brown eyes, framed by delicate lashes; her facial features were Papa's, with her blunt yet sharp nose, dark blonde (yet not bushy; her brother's were, though) eyebrows, and pale lips of a light pink mouth.

Unlike most girls however, she was a hardcore tomboy; sure she let Dad pick out her dresses and skirts and such, but they were either different color plaids or full-on black. Her dark blue plaid dress with a black light hoodie tossed over it, torn dark jeans underneath and gray Vans didn't match up to her brother's fancy black button-up, light blue skinny jeans and white tennis shoes too well, but to Jayden and Cecil and their parents, Miranda was one of the most beautiful girls in the entire world.

Too bad she didn't see that obvious fact like they did...

Jayden's smile grew at her response, he holding her close as they shared a nice, warm hug; they were brother and sister sure but rarely fought, and if they did the two would make up in a matter or hours, nothing like Jayden's often heated arguments with Cecil.

"Sure sure, I'm a speedster, sis! Catching up to ya will be no problem, but what took you so long to get out here anyway? I got YJ on DVD, sis! We've got nothing of homework to take up our weekend, we're in the clear!" Jayden said with a grin, Miranda's pale cheeks flushing a brilliant pink though.

"Ummm, just talking to someone from class." She began, when Jayden cut her off.

"Jack Seams again, sis?"

"H-How did you...?"

"Sis, I'm psychic; I see all, way before they even happen." Jayden started to say, when Cecil this time cut him off.

"Mira, he's lying. I was the one who suggested you were with Jack, Jay's just trying to play it cool." The ravenette mused, Jayden throwing her another fake glare.

"Thanks a lot, chica." He responded, Miranda giggling again as she hugged her brother tight by the waist.

"Oh don't be upset, Jay! At least you know you can count on Cecil to be all tracker on me, now nothing can be a secret! Just like for the Dark Knight, the shadows hold no Bat-family tales!" She pointed out, Jayden laughing when Cecil's ears went red.

"Okay, okay! Let's move on from making me look like a tomato to our plans for tonight. So a YJ marathon, right bro? Three hours of superhero action, good thing I'm wearing my Superboy shirt today!" Cecil said, crossing her arms over her chest with pride at the large red shield symbol splashed on the front of her black tee.

"Oh, you really got YJ on DVD, bro? How did you know that I've wanted to see the newest season all this time?" Miranda looked up at her brother with curious brown eyes, the brunette grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Miranda, we're twins! I can read you, plus I snuck a peek at your Christmas wish list for this year; I thought, 'Why would she have to wait when I have some money saved from my allowance? Mowing grass and walking dogs pays off after all, Mira's in for a surprise!', so I had Uncle Mauricio drive me up to the Mall to go hunting in the stores and ta-da! You are now the proud owner of the YJ whole 2nd season DVD!" Jayden exclaimed, reaching into his bag; Miranda's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at seeing her favorite teen superheroes on the cover of the still covered in plastic DVD box, their smiles and bright costume colors standing in perfect contrast to the blue-and-white skin.

"Oh my gosh..."

"I know, I'm an awesome big brother." Jayden said with a wink, Cecil rolling her eyes playfully.

"He's rarely right, Mira, but in this case I'll give him credit where credit is due; he's nice to everyone, but he's putty in your hands."

Miranda giggled as she hugged the present to her chest and kissed her brother on the cheek, happy tears in her eyes.

"Thanks, Jayden. This is the best gift ever, maybe even better than the Batman plush you got me for my dance competition win a few months ago..."

"Hey, I'm your brother; I'm suppose to look out for you and stuff, it's my job and I love it. Plus, Dad and I are the ones that spoil you, Papa does too but not too far like us. You know I love you, baby sister."

"Me too, I love you, big bro."

Cecil smiled fondly at the sight of the twins hugging and smiling; sometimes she wished she had a younger brother or sister, someone to have a close bond with like Jayden and Miranda did. And yet the two were like her brother and sister; she was the oldest thus the adult for them, she babysits them regularly and even though they were a pain in the neck at times, she loved her cousins/siblings to death.

"Thanks guys, no love for the future vet I see." The ravenette sighed, pretending to be seriously insulted; Jayden and Miranda grinned at each other before pulling Cecil into their hug, the older girl blushing under all the attention.

"Oh don't get like that, Cecil! You know we love you!" Miranda squealed, Jayden adding a heavy sigh for more dramatic effect.

"You don't know how much we love you! We can't breathe, sleep, eat, even think without holding you in our arms or saying your very name! You are a drug, we're addicted to you!" The brunette sang in his low, rich soprano; Cecil's blush only darkened as she elbowed them both lightly to the stomach and fixed the collar of her dark red blazer, brown eyes on her matching high-tops instead of facing her cousins' shared amused stare.

"Okay, okay! I get it, you two love me! Jay quoting Kelly Clarkson was enough for me to get the message, now can we please head for home now? Vice Principal Norman will boot us out of here if we're just standing around." The eldest pointed out, already feeling the short, portly man's evil eye on them.

Miranda and Jayden nodded, grabbed hold of their stuff before following their cousin down to the track field where students were allowed to park their bikes at; Cecil undid the lock on hers easily and was soon mounted with her blue helmet on, waiting patiently with her arms resting on the handlebars as Jayden clicked the straps of Miranda's own helmet on for her, made sure she had a firm grip on his waist when they mounted his bike before giving Cecil a nod. The ravenette grinned back before starting on the pedals, small rocks and chewed up gravel and dirt blowing around like small parasols as the trio sped out into the parking lot, crossing the bus stops to soon be on the other side of the street, Miranda's long blonde hair dancing in the breeze as they headed home for the day.

...

"Dad, Papa! We're back!" Miranda called into the cozy, two-story L.A. home with a grin, Cecil at her side while Jayden was getting their bikes into the garage through the backyard.

A blonde man at around twenty-eight years old soon appeared into the Living Room, a bright smile on his handsome face.

He was rather tall (well, tall in Miranda and Cecil's cases) with shaggy, dirty blonde hair and sparkling bottle green eyes. He was thin (after long, yet satisfying hours at the gym from giving birth thirteen years ago) with rather bushy dark blonde eyebrows, a sharp aristocrat nose, pale peach skin and dimples in his cheeks when he smiled, dressed in a simple black long-sleeved shirt with dark jeans and a pair of blue-and-black Vans.

"Hey, sweetie. Hey Ce Ce, how was school today?" Kendall Diamond-Knight asked, catching his daughter in a quick hug while pressing a kiss to Cecil's forehead; Miranda giggled while Cecil blushed at the silly nickname, smiling from ear-to-ear as well though.

"What's up, Uncle Kendall? Where's Uncle James?" The ravenette asked, her Superboy shirt in full view now that she pulled off her blazer and tied it around her slender waist.

"Yeah Papa, where's Dad?" Miranda echoed, knocking off her black beanie as she sat on the Kitchen counter with a pout on her lips, arms crossed; Kendall merely laughed, pointing to the glass door that led outside to the backyard.

"Wait for it, girls; three, two, and..."

"Gotcha! Try better next time, Red Hood!"

"Oh man, no fair! You always get me, old man!"

Cecil grinned.

"There's Uncle James, sounds like he caught Jay."

And she was exactly right; the backyard door slid back to show Jayden in a friendly head-lock with another brunette, though around twenty-nine years old instead of thirteen. He was tall and padded with lithe muscle like the child, Jayden almost reaching him to eye-level, with chocolate-brown hair like Jayden, dark caramel skin like Jayden, and had the same facial features: strong chin, high cheekbones, a dazzling smile, kind eyes and an air of cheerfulness. Only differences were that this man had brown eyes instead of green, and his eyebrows weren't at all bushy as Jayden's, all slim and delicate now in amused, curved arches over his snickering eyes.

James Diamond-Knight chuckled as his one and only son pouted at his defeat, the two sharing a one-armed hug before Jayden left his side to greet Papa.

"Pa, he got me again! This old man's skills are still pretty sharp, I'll tell ya that!" Jayden said, Kendall laughing as he ruffled his son's hair.

"Well maybe one day you'll catch your Dad by surprise, Jay. It didn't take me long."

"Yeah right, sweetie. You still can't scare me; you jump every time I show up behind you in the bathroom mirror before work!" James gloated, pecking Cecil's cheek while grinning at the older blonde's mild glare. Miranda latched herself to her Dad's left hip, he smiling as he kissed her hair; Jayden was his little angel with a shotgun but Miranda was his little princess, his little girl.

Of course he loved his daughter and son equally, but was often extremely overprotective of Miranda; Jayden was good at handling himself, he was tough and could handle anything with the smooth charm he inherited from James. Miranda, however, was sweet and very innocent like her Papa (or 'mother', as James would playfully tease Kendall about) so that often left her open to be bullied, though the brunette wasn't as worried because he knew that if anyone tried anything against his baby girl, his little soldier and brave Ce Ce would teach the jerk a painful lesson.

"Hi, Dad!"

"Hey, baby girl. How did school go for you three today, I was just making lunch when I caught Red Hood here parking the bikes out back." James said as he went into the Kitchen to check on the sandwiches he was preparing for his husband, niece, and son and daughter: tofu turkey with cheese and lettuce, their favorite.

Everyone giggled at Jayden's annoyed yet still proud-looking expression; everyone in the Diamond-Knight/Mitchell-Garcia family called him that, since he was a die-hard fan of the DC anti-hero from the Batman comics.

Kendall fixed the three some juice from the fridge as James served the sandwiches, adding some light dressing to Kendall's as he set it before him with a tender kiss to the ear; Cecil, Miranda, and Jayden snickered at the green-eyed blonde's flushed face, he mumbling a "Thank you" to himself before biting into his lunch.

Jayden was too busy sinking his teeth into his own sandwich while Miranda sipped at her glass of mango-lime juice, that leaving Cecil to answer first; she wiped her mouth with a napkin Kendall passed to her, brown eyes soft and warm.

"Same old, same old; nothing interesting, Uncle James. The only exciting thing is that in a year, I'll be a freshman in high school!" Cecil said as she pumped her fist in the air; James chuckled as he joined the four at the counter, choosing a green apple for lunch in place of a sandwich.

"That's right, going to hang with the big dogs now! No worries though, Ce Ce, you'll do fine; you've got your father's smarts and papi's magnetism, you're all set." James said as he patted the girl's head, getting a grin from Cecil.

"James' right, sweetie; you're a great student and always do the best you can, the teachers will love you." Kendall added with a wink.

"Lucky her, she'll be a sophomore by the time we go to high school; it sucks that we just turned thirteen too, Harper's gonna be in the lead once again!" Jayden protested, giving his cousin a mock glare; the ravenette only smirked and took another bite of her lunch, seeming very smug suddenly.

"Too bad, Red Hood."

"I heard that, Speedy."

"Cheer up, big bro! We'll be in high school in a year or so too, we're good students so if we're lucky, we'll have the same honor classes as Ce Ce maybe!" Miranda pointed out, getting a fond smile from the brunette to her right; that's his Mira, always there to cheer him up.

Cecil nearly choked on her juice, James reaching out to pat her back lightly as Miranda and Jayden turned to their Papa.

"So Papa, are you and Dad working late today?" Miranda asked.

It wasn't often that James and Kendall worked late; out of the seven days in a week, they worked late two out of seven so that they would be able to balance work and the children evenly. James was a hot-off-the-charts fashion designer, the best in California while Kendall was the coach of one of the greatest Hockey teams in the country. The two had jobs that demanded a lot of them sure, but Jayden and Miranda always came first; to them, their little angels were more important than their careers.

A job, though often hard to find, you can get at anytime but to replace or lose family? Nah, that didn't go in their book.

James sighed sadly, nodding as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm afraid so, guys; I have this big meeting with my associates tonight to discuss the new Winter line I've come up with, and Papa's got a late training session with the boys. Your father and papi will come by late too, Ce Ce; looks like Logan's all booked with appointments tonight and Carlos has to catch up with all the actors and actresses for his film in a few weeks." The brown-eyed brunette explained, Kendall frowning along with him.

Like James and Kendall, Logan and Carlos had steady, good but often very demanding careers; Logan was a brilliant doctor, more of a surgeon than anything else, while Carlos was a well-known movie producer. Cecil got to see her parents as much as her cousins did, though it made her sad to know that sometimes, their busy days would be Fridays.

"Oh, I see. Father must have his hands full, Papi too." The ravenette said, her eyes resembling Logan's mocha brown as disappointment settled in her stomach; Miranda and Jayden looked as crestfallen as her, the sight making the two adults' frowns deepen.

"We're sorry guys, all these things came up out of nowhere", Kendall began, but Jayden just shrugged and mustered a smile.

"No prob, Pa. Look, the three of us don't have work and have a three-hour DVD of teenager superheroes kicking some serious villain butt. You guys work really hard so that everything's okay; besides, we always spend the weekend together, the seven of us, as a family so one Friday alone won't hurt us." He said, Miranda and Cecil quick to catch on.

"Jayden's right, Papa, Dad. We can take care of ourselves for a few hours. Well Ce Ce's our babysitter, but you know what I meant, we'll be okay! You two don't worry about a thing!" Miranda added.

"I'm the oldest, I'll make sure these two don't cause trouble. Promise, my dear uncles, that I'll keep everything under control. You two go on without any nerves, tell Father and Papi for me too so they don't give themselves heart attacks. Plus you're talking to three hero-obsessed teenagers, give us some caped action and we are out of it." The ravenette said, the three looking at Kendall and James with wide, innocent eyes.

Dang it, with those eyes! Those big, child wonder-filled eyes...!

"...Okay, but remember the rules! No opening the door to strangers, no answering phone calls you don't recognize, no inviting other people over without permission, no parties, and in case of emergency, call Aunt Jade and Uncle Dak! Or Mauricio and Uncles Damian and Joslyn, I'm going to ask Katie to come check up on you three in an hour or so!" Kendall said, going into mother-hen mode; Jayden and Miranda rolled their eyes.

Leave the rule-making, worry warming to Papa! It's always this way with him.

"Also, phones on and in bed by ten at least; it's Friday yes, but I don't want you three staying up all night." James added, he and Kendall clearing the counter and taking turns washing the dishes and glasses in the sink.

Cecil, Jayden, and Miranda raised their hands as in salute to their foreheads.

"Yes sirs, we promise to not go all superhero and save the world! Stay at home, like good dorky teens!"

...

"Jay, is the game station hooked up yet?" Miranda called from the Kitchen as she got the low-fat buttery popcorn hot and ready from the microwave.

"Got it covered, Mira! Cecil, got the DVD player ready?" Jayden replied, said girl nodding as she plugged the red, yellow and white colored cords to the T.V.

"PS3 up, DVD player set, popcorn covered, our Friday is now in session!" Cecil said with a grin, she plopping down on one of the dark blue couches in the Living Room; Mira let out a cheer as she set the plastic green bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table, Jayden soon resting across her lap like a small child as he switched on the Television.

This is how the three usually spent their Fridays; when no homework was in sight to occupy their weekend, Jayden, Miranda and Cecil would change into their pajamas, get popcorn popping while they got their game station and Living Room DVD player ready for an all-night (well according to the twins' dad, all night until ten) video game/movie night. It was something they started when they were eight, and have kept the tradition since then.

"So, game first or DVD?" Cecil asked, pale vanilla skin glowing a faint silver in the dim lighting of the room; she was in her pajamas (which she carried in another bag around during school days) which consisted of a black sleeping gown that reached her knees, decorated with a picture of a large owl with reading glasses, neon yellow socks and earrings (in the shape of books) dangling from her delicate ears. Her blazer was off to enjoy fully the AC, hair flat to her head from a quick shower, a large book on exotic animals in Africa propped open on her knees.

"Well I chose last Friday, so Mira's up." Jayden responded, pushing a lock chocolate-brown hair off his midnight green eyes; he was wearing a green-and-purple checkered t-shirt with gray plaid pajama bottoms, socks off with his lucky gold coin around his swan neck.

"Oh, oh right! Then I say, we play a video game first! Don't want to go into YJ too soon, I want to keep the excitement up!" Miranda cheered, grinning from ear-to-ear. Her clothes matched Jayden's, a green-and-purple checked t-shirt and gray plaid pajama bottoms; only difference was that hers were shorts instead of pants, that and she wore a choker with the word "Damian Wayne" in big, green cursive letters.

Jayden smiled and lifted his head off his sister's lap, slipping her Batman pillow under her head as she and Cecil claimed the couch and got comfortable.

"Okay, let me get our games from our room; this will take a while though, since the number of our hero games is HUGE!" The brunette strained the word for emphasize, Miranda rolling her eyes while Cecil waved him off with her left hand.

"Then go now, Red Hood, shoo. Don't keep us waiting, okay?" Jayden glared at the ravenette girl and stuck his tongue out, turning on his heel to head upstairs.

"You're so mean to my brother, Ce Ce." Miranda said, only half scolding; Cecil smiled at her best friend/music soul sister and shrugged, chewing a piece of popcorn kernel between her white teeth.

"Hey, someone has to do it, sis. If not you, why not me?"

"Well because he's brother, we rarely fight..."

"Exactly!" Cecil said with a wink and click of her tongue; Miranda didn't understand the older, more logical girl's quirks at times, but that kept their group activities interesting.

"I suppose so...?"

**_Crash!_**

"What was that?" Cecil asked, both girls jumping to their feet; the large red blanket they got from the office upstairs fell to the floor at their feet, but both were only focused on the noise and where it could have come from.

"It sounded like a crash, wait...Jayden! Big bro, something must have happened!"

**_Thump! Thump!_**

"The noise, down the stairs to the basement! Idiot must have tripped again!" Cecil said, though the concern on her face betrayed her snippy comment. Miranda wasted no time; slipping on her shoes and pulling her older cousin by the arm, the two girls ran down the hallways and found the staircase that led to the basement; the door, painted black like the inside of a cave, was hanging from its hinges, the stack of games Jayden had been probably carrying all scattered on the cold, concrete floor like broken toys at the door's frame.

"Big bro!" Miranda cried out, about to run down the stairs when Cecil grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Miranda, wait! Uncle Kendall said the basement is off-limits to us, Uncle James' old work stuff is down there! We were told to stay out of there!" The brown-eyed child pointed out, though Miranda's own brown eyes were cold as frozen amber as she huffed and pulled her arm free.

"Cecil, I could care less about Papa and Dad's rules right now! My brother tripped or slipped in the hallway and fell down there, he could be hurt! You can stay up here if you want, but I'm going to see if my brother's okay!" Miranda exclaimed, not wasting more time to slide down the rail and land on the concrete flooring leading to the basement; she stepped over the fallen game cases and vanished into the black hole of the door, Cecil biting her lower lip before sighing and following suit.

Oh, she had a bad feeling about this!

...

"Jay, big bro? Can you hear me, hello! Jayden Mauricio Diamond-Knight, please answer me!"

"Ugh...wha?"

Jayden's midnight green eyes fluttered open at his twin sister's soft, yet trembling voice; the brunette found himself staring up into Miranda's worried brown eyes, another weak groan leaving his thin lips before he sat up and rubbed the throbbing, large bump forming at the back of his head.

"Ouch, my head."

"Thank God you're alright, big bro! I was worried you were done for, that was quite a fall you had!" Miranda said, sighing in relief with a hand over her heart; the boy smiled at his sister's response, tearing his eyes away from her face to the dark, dank room with a high ceiling and concrete chunks molded together for a floor.

"Thanks sis, but...where are we? What is this place?" Jayden asked, Miranda helping him up and the two not dropping hands as they looked around; their surroundings had no light, it was even hard to see each without outlines.

"Jayden, this is the basement; you know, Papa and Dad say it's off-limits to us...but I wonder why?" Miranda whispered, Jayden able to feel her breath brush his right shoulder.

"Yeah, to tell the truth, I've always been curious about this place; now if we can just find a light switch, maybe we can get a better idea about why our folks don't let us hang out down here."

Miranda nodded at her brother's words, stepping from his side to search for a light switch but clinging to his hand still, as if afraid to let go and get lost in the swallowing darkness of the gaping tunnel they were in. A few stumbles, bumps to the head for walking around in circles and crashing in each other, after all that insanity Miranda tripped and landed on a piece of metal; it hummed and turned a bright blue, energy humming before the whole room was soon alive with light.

Rays of light, lines of light, everything was soon touched with light but some shadows remained.

"W-Whoa!" Miranda gasped.

"Holy crap...!" Jayden added, Cecil soon appearing behind them with her trusty (as in, always has it with her) flashlight.

"Guys, are you okay? Wow, bright lights! Wait, what did you two do? Oh great, Uncle Kendall and Uncle James are going to kill us! Thanks a l-" Cecil was shouting all crazy-like when she stopped and stared in awe at what her cousins were staring at, all anger replaced by shock.

"W-Where are we...? What is t-this place!"

The basement was large, larger than maybe two football stadiums yet small enough to be under a house; it was dark and dank, a few stray black-furred dogs and ravens blinking unnerving beady eyes at the pale-faced children, while the walls were made of rock. A state-of-the-art base of operation was in the center of the room, a huge computer screen farther north and high on the ceiling, other smaller screens showing images of every inch of the room every 3.5 seconds: security cameras. The base of operations has several gadgets on its tables, some blinking, some beeping, some off or doing a mix of the previous options; behind long, square glass cases were several suits made of spandex: most of them were in black, though two were in gray and one of dark red, domino masks outlined in black, gray, smoke purple, dark blue and red.

It was like...a secret base for superheroes!

"Ugh, guys? Please, pretty please, tell you two are seeing what I'm seeing." Cecil broke the silence at last, the dogs and ravens seeming not alarmed at the presence of the teenagers; they merely howled or cawed softly before going back to sleep, the room hushed as a graveyard apart from the buzzing of the futuristic tech surrounding them.

"I'm seeing a room that looks like the famous Bat Cave from the comics, with a mixture of Iron Man tech and Flash speed wiring?" Jayden suggested, walking forward slowly, Miranda still gripping his arm with Cecil covering the tail, to the glass cases and looking over the domino masks.

"So we're not crazy; we're really seeing all this!" Miranda exclaimed, leaving her brother's side to pick up one of the beeping machines on the sleek, metal see-through tables; it let out a high-pitched whine and the rumbling it gave off made her yelp and drop it. Heavy, strong-smelling smoke-filled the air, Jayden and Cecil coughing and struggling to keep the blonde girl in sight.

"Sis, you okay?"

"Yeah, Jay! Ugh, smoke bomb or something!" Miranda called back, Cecil running through the fog to the large computer screen high above their heads; she pin-pointed the main control keyboard and typed a few things, knowing that it would be a good place to finding information about this place.

"Man, this smoke sure is thick! Mira, reach out with your hand or listen to my voice! It will make finding you easier!" Jayden ordered, but soon he rammed into said girl who had tried for him and Cecil blindly around the cases holding the suits, both shouting in surprise before sighing in relief at seeing each other and clasping hands again in comfort.

"So not touching anything else around here, wait Cecil?" The twins waved the smoke before their eyes away to see the form of the eldest in front of a keyboard, typing and looking up at the computer screen with a thoughtful, calculating expression.

"Ce Ce, what are you doing? We should probably leave now, I can see why Dad and Papa don't want us hanging around here." Miranda suggested, though Jayden was more focused on the pages popping on the beaming blue-green screen.

"Hold on, Mira. I think I can work my way through this computer's firewall and other security crap; everything that can explain this place can be on here, and so my hacking skills can help us." Cecil replied, Jayden turning to his sister.

"Ce Ce's right, sis. Dad and Papa have been hiding a secret from us: this place, whatever it is, I really think we should find out why we have a hero cave for a basement." Jayden explained briefly, searching his twin's nervous-looking brown eyes; Miranda bit her bottom lip for a few minutes, but soon nodded and smiled.

"Okay, big brother; we do everything together, this goes for that promise we made. No matter what, together forever."

"Right, together forever; brother and sister to the end."

"Red Hood, Mira, if you two are done being mushy-gushy bro-and-sis with each other, come have a look at this!" Cecil pointed to the screen over their heads, brown eyes skimming across the bold-printed words as she took in the information; Jayden mildly glared at her back before he and Miranda followed suit, lips twisting and turning as he mouthed the words to himself.

"...Shadow? That was the name of that hero from Sherwood, where our grandmas and two of our grandpas live all the way up in Minnesota. Uncle Damian knew him, I remember Mauricio telling us stories about them as kids before bed." Jayden recalled.

"All these pages are from Sherwood's newspapers, thirteen years ago; all of them are about Shadow, the oldest to most recent. Even about that Sin guy, who was reported to be Shadow's enemy but his real name held as 'classified information' from the town." Miranda added.

"Not only that, but these pages have all the blueprints and breakdowns to the tech Shadow used! All funded by Grandma Brooke's cosmetics company, with some of the inheritance money Uncle James was entitled to! Oh God, look at all this information, data banks and everything about Shadow!" Cecil noted, Miranda turning to one of the glass cases; she approached the one holding an all-black body suit and matching domino mask, narrowing her eyes as she tried to imagine either her papa or dad wearing them.

Papa...? No, he may have the skills and flexibility of a hero, but he didn't seem the type to go superhero. T-Then, that meant...!

"Dad, he use to be Shadow!"

"Our Dad, he was a hero...? As in, the Shadow superhero?" Jayden choked out, unable to believe it.

"Well anti-hero from these records, but...yeah, guys I think we just found out a big family secret! I'm sure Father and Papi know this, Uncle James is the retired Shadow from Sherwood, the town's no longer around Dark Knight!"

The twins looked at one another, then at the screen and the suit and mask, then back at each other; once more at the suit and mask, then at Cecil, mouths gaping open like fishes out of water and eyes wide as dinner plates.

Dad, James Richard-Samuel Diamond-Knight, their dad; the calm, easy-going, often sarcastic, hardworking, funny, loving goof of a dad...was Shadow? The Shadow, the living nightmare? The dark-hearted hero of the past, he used to be that hero?

...

"Why did they keep this a secret all these years, why hide it from us?" Miranda asked, snuggled up to her brother's side.

The trio were back in the Living Room, television off and popcorn now cold; after making sure the security cameras lost footage of them and the computer had no traces of outside hacking (thanks to Cecil's tech magic) that could lead to them, the three retreated from the basement and collapsed on the couches, trying to take everything they saw with calm.

Well, that was somewhat working out for them.

"I still can't believe Dad was Shadow, wonder why he and Papa never told us about this..."

"Guys, really now. Think, maybe Uncle James didn't want you two to know...because, in the records I read that Uncle Kendall nearly lost his life that night, along with my parents, Aunt Jade and Uncle Damian. Some explosion at a warehouse, where Aunt Jade was taken as hostage by Sin. He probably didn't want to bring it up because he nearly lost Uncle Kendall, which if it had happened, I wouldn't be hanging out my two best friends in the world right about now." Cecil began, but Jayden cut in quickly with a question.

"But that doesn't explain something to me: is that why he and Pa are so overprotective of us? I mean, I know parents worry about their kids and all but Dad takes it a little too far sometimes, that proven with the security cameras in the cave." He pointed out, Miranda looking just as lost.

"Well, I read something else from the computer. It wasn't a record from the newspaper or data base, but from Uncle James' personal journal; in one of the entries, I found out that...he has a twin named Shane and that he was Sin, he was the only who nearly killed Aunt Jade, framed Uncle James for crimes he didn't commit, and almost got our family blown up that night. He must be the reason he gave up being Shadow: when he married Uncle Kendall and found out you were two were on the way..."

"He gave it all up, for us and Papa. He wanted to be our dad and Papa's husband, more than he wanted to be Shadow." Miranda said as her cousin's voice trailed off.

"As for our Uncle Shane, we never knew until now that he existed, much less that Dad has a twin; Dad nor Pa talk about him or our Grandpa Allister, just Grandma Brooke and Grandma Jen or Aunt Jade and Aunt Katie. He wanted to protect us, because he wanted us not to live with Shadow's legacy behind us; he and Pa want us to grow up as normal kids, with nothing of that hanging over our family..." Jayden wrapped it up, the three now feeling guilty for going to the basement.

This was obviously a secret and they would never tell a soul, but should they face their parents about it?

Yeah they'll probably get upset, but would they get upset a lot if they knew the children stumbled upon the cave by accident?

Such a hard decision, to attack head on or wait for a storm to blow them into a hurricane...

"Okay, how about this? First thing in the morning, we sit our parents down and talk about this, okay? Not tonight when they come home, but first thing tomorrow morning; that way we're ready with questions, we can all be together for this, and it won't seem like we did something wrong because we didn't, we were just saving Jayden after that fall he had." Cecil said finally, looking at her cousins for or against the verdict; both were silent, just nodding their heads.

"Let's go to bed, I'm tired." Jayden added, even though it was only like eight-thirty at night; Miranda nodded again in agreement, the three preparing the couches with pillows and sheets. Miranda, feeling a little nervous, shared a couch with her big brother, who had no objection; he was feeling edgy himself and his sister's presence always made him feel better, plus they had forgotten their superhero action figures in their room. Cecil kept the light on from the corner lamp, curling up and hugging her shoulders. She wasn't as jumpy as her cousins, still a chill made her pull her blazer back on.

The three felt, for the first time in years, not eager to watch their favorite heroes; in the end, they could not come to life and make sense of their current situation.

...

"Miranda, Jayden! Wake up, we have a MAJOR problem!" The twins jolted awake at the outburst from their cousin, the brunette glaring mildly for the rude awakening.

"What, what Cecil? Dang, you didn't have to yell so lo-" He began saying, when he saw tears pool up in his sister's eyes, Cecil's as well; he gently bumped both girls to the side and saw the television alive and on the morning news, a case about some people who went missing last night.

The headline, in big bold letters, that the reporter was addressing made Jayden's blood run cold.

"N-No...!"

Latest story: **Fashion Designer Diamond-Knight and Husband Missing, Friends As Well Without A Trace: Los Angeles Police Asks For Public to Assist Search.**


	22. Epilogue, Pt 2

Well, here we are. The last piece of 'Your Dark Knight'. Be prepared, everyone; we're in for a wild ride. I hope this chapter is to your liking: I was in a black hole on what to do for the finale until my good friend/fellow author Kames Over All gave me suggestions that helped my own mixed ideas and organize them. Thank you so much, this is for you and everyone else who has followed, added to their favorite stories pile, reviewed, and/or even read this work that I have loved from the beginning and have written with a passion. Thank you all again, hope you enjoy this last piece and if...there is something (like a sequel, prehaps?) that you all would like from me, feel free to ask...Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT OF THE ONCE ONE SHOT AND ANY OCS USED AND/ OR MENTIONED...Sorry if this sucked, was lame, too short, or all the above...Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes made during the writing, creation, and polishing of this last update...Note: the costume designs, in this chapter and the next one, were possible by my friend Miss M with her ideas and mine coming together for art, so somehow give her applause for the hard, outstanding work she has contributed to this ALMOST last piece...THERE IS ONE MORE PART TO THIS; FORGIVE ME, BUT SCHOOL IS COMPLICATED, PLUS I WANTED TO SAVE THE ACTION FOR THE END! FORGIVE ME AGAIN, PLEASE...!

* * *

"No, no, no! No, this can't be happening!" Jayden exclaimed as he paced the Living Room floor, Cecil's cell-phone battery falling in the low range as she rang calls to Uncle Mauricio, Uncles Damian and Joslyn, Aunt Jade and Uncle Dak, Aunt Katie and Grandma Jen, Grandma Brooke, etc.

Basically, everyone under their family contact list.

"How the hell did this happen? T-They left, they were safe and smiling when they left! They promised they'd try to finish their late hours early, t-they promised they'd come back!" The brunette ranted over and over, bright midnight green eyes a dark olive in anger, confusion and sadness.

Miranda remained silent, but her big mercury eyes (eyes that matched their dad James' in every way) were wet with tears; she sniffled and hugged her Batman pillow close to her chest, which had been a gift from their dad; the choker with the name "Damian Wayne" around her neck had been from Papa, on her sixth birthday.

The poor dirty blonde finally sobbed into her pillow, Jayden soon stopping his shouting contest and soon wrapping his arms around her slender frame, kissing her soft hair and rubbing the small of her back in comfort.

"Shu, it's going to be okay, baby sister; I'm sorry, I was overreacting but everything will be okay." He began to say, though Miranda let out a whimper and pulled away to meet his eyes, the older twin's heart breaking at seeing large, overwhelming rivers flooding the girl's eyes.

"B-But big brother, our parents are missing. That's why Aunt Katie didn't come, because Papa never got the chance to call her to check up on us! Papa, Daddy are in trouble, so are Uncle Carlos and Uncle Logan! No, I think everyone but Uncle Mauricio are in danger, because he's at college all the way in New York City! Don't you see, everyone we love is gone and we don't know where to l-look!" Miranda exclaimed, Jayden biting back his own tears as he held her tighter and stroked her hair.

Cecil sighed and tossed her phone to the couch that served as her bed last night, fists tight and eyes in slits.

"No one is answering; it's either turned off or going straight to voicemail, not even Father and Papi are answering to me..." She choked out, Jayden soon growling and letting go of his sister to punch the nearest wall; he left a dent that would probably get him grounded for a week later on but right now, all he was worried about was the fact that his and Miranda's parents, Ce Ce's parents, and everyone else they loved have disappeared without a trace.

"Wait, someone must have noticed them gone or seen something off! I mean, the police wouldn't be searching for them if someone had not reported their disappearances, right?" Miranda said suddenly, Cecil turning to her.

"Y-You're right, sis! Someone, either a friend or just a really nice person, told the cops this and made the search happen! But who, that's the question. Everyone I called has their phones off, the only ones that went straight to voicemail were Uncle Mauricio's and Aunt Camille's. Maybe Aunt Camille did it?" She offered; it only made sense, considering their uncle wouldn't know about the situation for he was millions upon millions of miles away.

"Damn it, if only we a had clue!" Jayden exclaimed, the two girls clear on the fact he was raging; he only cursed when extremely ticked off.

"I'm sure if we look hard enough, we-" Miranda began to console, when a loud noise rumbled from below; the three jumped as they felt movement in the basement below their feet, Jayden's mind catching up with his body's natural instinct to guard as he grabbed Miranda and Cecil's arms and began to pull them down the hallway.

"Trouble, intruders in the basement! Come on, we need to get to the bottom of this!"

...

"Who's there, come on out!" Jayden barked with authority, Miranda behind him while Cecil stood at his side.

The Cave (as they decided to name it) was buzzing with light once again; everything was bathed in bright blue or ghostly silver, the supercomputer up and running while the ravens and dogs were awake and alert, snarling or cawing coldly in unison like a sonnet of awaiting death. The base of operations was on overdrive, the tech on the tables either turned off or deactivated though; someone had broken in and knew how to work the tech, it was the only proof that intruder(s) were present!

"The supercomputer, maybe the security cameras caught something odd on video!" Cecil suggested, running toward the large, blue-glowing screen and state-of-the-art keyboard.

It was too late to warn her on Miranda's part: "Ce Ce, watch out!"

"Huh?" Soon the ravenette let out a high-pitched scream as a thick, black line (not rope, more like rubber coated in thick, strong plastic) bounded her ankles from out of the blue and yanked her whole frame up toward the ceiling.

"Cecil!" Jayden shouted, said girl squirming and holding back the urge to throw up as she dangled several feet above their heads, thankful she wore shorts under her sleeping gown.

"Ah, help! Guys, please get me down! I'm scared of heights, and this is not making the fear better!" She pleaded, tears in her soft brown eyes, a little caramel crème in a held back rising panic attack.

"Hold on, Speedy!" Jayden ran to the tables and found a weapon that was a double-bladed knife; he pressed the small button to retract the shiny silver blades from the spade-shaped boomerang and began to take his aim, eyes narrowed at the source of the grapple line (he could tell, it looked like the same material from the grapples abandoned on the see-through metal counters behind him) hanging Cecil from the ceiling, it tied up in several strong knots from a hook at the top of the Cave ceiling.

"Miranda, be ready to catch Ce Ce! I'm cutting her down!"

"No, big brother! Behind you!"

Jayden turned just in time to receive a harsh punch to his face; he gasped when a foot in a steel-toed shoe collided with his lower stomach, making him drop the double blade and collapse to the stone floor, a crouched figure sitting on his heels on the table towering over the brunette.

"Jayden!"

"You guys suck at being stealthy." The stranger, a boy's voice from the pitch of it, sounded out before he pounced on Jayden like a puma; the brunette had his hands pinned at the wrists by the steel-toed shoes while punches met his face, jaw now sporting a dark purple bruise while his eyes stung from the knuckles meeting his face.

"Stop, get your hands off my brother!" Miranda screamed, running and knocking the guy off Jayden as the two began to tussle across the floor. She was soon straddling the other boy and clashed a fist to his mouth, he turning his head just in time to avoid losing his canine teeth early before smirking at her enraged mercury brown eyes.

"Hey, if you wanted me so bad, all you had to do was ask me out, beautiful." He sneered back before his left hand snuck out and caught Miranda's neck in a King Cobra's grip; the dirty blonde gasped and fought for breath as she was lifted off him and from the floor, her pale thin hands scratching at his angry red knuckles but offering no relief.

"Ugh, w-who are you?" She said in a hoarse voice, the boy's face hidden in shadows but his laugh echoed off the walls.

"None of your business now, is it beautiful? Now, I'm going to make sure it's bedtime for you three, so hold still..." He bawled up his free hand and pulled it back to prepare a firm, solid punch to her face; Miranda struggled still, the dogs and ravens unable to save her due to being trapped in electric nets that had been sprung when Cecil got caught in the trap.

"NO! DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!" Jayden's body reacted faster than his mind; he was on his feet in seconds and the other boy crashed head and back first into the nearest table from the surprise kick, the smoke bombs and snap explosives going off as glass and metal flew through the air. Miranda fell to the floor and clutched at her throat for air, Jayden fighting through the thick smog to be at her side in an instant.

"Sis, you okay?" He asked, inspecting the bright red bruise now marring the once perfect skin of her pale, swan neck; the brown-eyed girl choked and coughed but nodded, smiling into her brother's midnight green eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"That's it, you damn brats are in for it now!"

"Guys, look out!" Cecil shouted from the ceiling, Jayden watching the stranger's form take place in the smoke as he held a long, thin, yet still effective for cracking skulls wide open, metal pole in his right hand; it was a bo-staff, a type of weapon that was good for both defense and offense that the twins have seen some of their favorite heroes use against villains in the comics.

'No!' Jayden yelled in his head, getting up from his crouch to form a human shield over Miranda; if that bo-staff met skin, it would surely leave marks that would never heal! And that was something he'd rather take in his sister's place, anything to make sure his sister was unharmed!

"I'm going to knock you out for good this time, then teach your bitches of a sister and cousin some manners! Didn't anyone teach you not to go into a place off-limits to ya?" The other boy exclaimed, pressing the button for the bo-staff's electrical charge and holding it high above his head to strike; Jayden flinched but stayed firm, holding his ground while Miranda's eyes widened in horror.

"Big bro, NO!"

"Dimitri! Stand down, NOW!"

Another voice, older and that sounded...a little familiar to the twins somehow, growled from near the supercomputer, the boy freezing as if on pause; he gritted his teeth and tilted his head to the side, Miranda taking this as a chance to get up and tug her brother behind her.

"Why? They got in here, we need this place and they'll just ruin everything! Let me whoop their asses, it's the worse they can get right now!" The boy retorted, voice losing its cold edge; obviously the person he was addressing he held respect for, in some degree for there was fear and frustration lacing his words.

"I said to stand down, Dimitri! That's an order!" The voice repeated with more force, Cecil trying to see who was talking from her vantage point from the ceiling; there were two people near the supercomputer, both male from height and muscles padding their lithe bodies, one with his arms crossed while the other, the one doing the talking, had his fists gripped tight at his sides.

The boy called Dimitri held his pose for a few minutes more, before he let out a feral growl and turned off the charge of his bo-staff; he clicked the security lock so that it retracted and disappeared into the front pocket of his dark hoodie, he leaping off the table and crossing his arms as the two men began to make their way through the smoke and approach the twins.

"Get Cecil down, Dimitri; this involves her just as much as Jayden and Miranda." The other male said, his voice making the three's eyes go wide.

'Uncle Mauricio?' Miranda thought with surprise, the boy snorting before throwing a bladed star up in the air that he had hidden in his jeans left back pocket; Cecil screamed again as she was released and began to fall at a fast speed to the floor, Jayden managing to catch her before her head met the stone ground below.

"Oh guys, thank God you're safe! Sorry about Dimitri, he's a little...well, has a bit of a temper, but everything's okay now. I'm here to help." Uncle Mauricio's face was clear once the smoke was gone, the three feeling a surge of relief at seeing a familiar face.

Uncle Mauricio was young, very young (well, maybe to some people but not all) to be an uncle with teenage nieces and nephew; he was an eighteen-year old college freshman, tall and thin with black hair soft and dark as night, bone white skin and big, bright blue eyes. In a way he looked a lot like his father Damian Raine, but his smile and gothic (cool) taste in clothing, like the black turtlneck and jeans with boots he had on right now, were all Joslyn's doing.

"Uncle Mauricio, you're here!" Miranda exclaimed.

"Wait, how come you didn't answer your phone when I called? Every time voicemail answered me!" Cecil pointed out with a mild glare, Jayden's gaze focused on a sneering Dimitri.

Mauricio smiled sadly at this.

"I know, I'm sorry but I couldn't answer; I felt something was wrong and only cared about seeing you three safe, hearing your voice on the phone wouldn't have be enough to calm me down. Plus, there's someone here that can help us even more, more than what we can do right now."

"What do you mean, 'even more'? Uncle Mauricio, what's going on?"

"Something bad, Mira. The kidnapping of your parents, of mine as well and our friends and family, all of this is work of a conspiracy against us." Mauricio replied, expression bleak; he was not joking, this was just as serious as the children feared, maybe even more so.

"Conspiracy, but why? And who's that?" Cecil pointed to the silent man, no longer talking as Dimitri had obeyed his orders to stand down, dressed in a white hoodie and jeans with the hood pulled to hide a majority of his face.

Mauricio parted his lips to speak but the white-wearing male held up a hand to stop him, nodding to himself.

"It's okay, Mauricio; it's time I meet my nephew and nieces, face-to-face." The man responded, taking a deep breath before taking hold of his hood and pulling it down slowly to show his face.

"U-Uncle James!" Cecil guessed, though Jayden and Miranda shook their heads with wide eyes; he had the same brown hair as their dad, brown eyes as their dad and same dark skin but it was not him; the scar over one of his eyes, deep and narrow with some skin missing so that the opal roundness of his eye was showing, proved their shared thought right.

"U-Uncle Shane..." Jayden choked out, Cecil's eyes going dark in realization.

The man smiled, a smile not cold or bitter, at the three stunned children.

"Hi Jayden, Hi Miranda. Hi Cecil, I am Shane Dylan-Nicolas Diamond; I'm your uncle, James' twin brother."

...

"Okay Uncle Mauricio, you've got a LOT of explaining to do!" Cecil said in a drill Sargent's sharp howl, Jayden and Miranda sitting down on one of the couches together while said girl stood up with her hands on her hips.

Mauricio smiled weakly and sighed, he and Shane claiming the opposite couch while Dimitri (though only called that by Mauricio and/or Shane when angry or in command; most of the time, however, he was called Salem) pulled up a chair from the Dining Room table and sat with one leg tucked under him, the other swinging about freely.

"I know, Ce Ce. Look, this is what I know so far: Shane contacted me from Sherwood, saying something about that his brother and husband, in shorter words everyone, have been missing for the last twenty-four hours or so. No traces, no clues from people they work with, nothing to give us a lead. Yet Shane knew of it and contacted me in New York, seeking help to get here; I paid for our trip here and he explained more in detail our situation: someone, with a grudge against us all, has kidnapped James, Kendall, my parents and everyone we love and taken them as hostages. We don't know why or when, but for now we can assume who it is. Salem, he's really Camille's only son but she's in the hospital right now; after Dimitri's father left her four months pregnant and shortly after he was born, she fell into a depression, a deep depression and almost committed suicide. Shay's been out for years now, all good with a clean record and with her and the court's permission, is Salem's legal guardian." Mauricio began, Miranda's eyes straying to said boy.

He was fifteen, only two years older than her and Jayden, extremely thin and tall; he had dark brown hair in a shaggy, messy bowl-cut and pale, sickly skin with dark circles below his eyes. He was dressed in a black hoodie with a leather jacket over it, black skinny jeans torn at the knees and dark blue sneakers with holes in the tongues. He looked a lot like Aunt Camille, face structure and all, but his eyes were a bright hazel, almost a murky golden butterscotch; he was wearing a band-aid over the cut in his cheek he got from the now broken table in the Cave, thin lips in a tight line and expression bitter and stern like a stone's kiss.

He met Miranda's curious eyes, raising a slender eyebrow in mock questioning; said girl looked away and gripped her brother's arm tightly, Salem smirking while Jayden threw him a warning look. He wasn't over the jerk nearly choking his precious baby sister to death.

Shane noticed the small exchange and tapped lightly Salem's left shoulder, hissing the boy's real name again under his breath; Salem growled and rolled his eyes but did nothing more, pretending to be bored out of his mind while Mauricio picked up where he left off.

"As you three saw, Salem's highly trained; Shane has taught him everything from hacking to tech-developing, martial arts to impeccable stealth. He taught him the ways of Shadow if for better words, he's highly trained for someone so young. Shane knew about the Cave James built in the basement and thought it would be a good idea to start there, get the equipment we need because...his plan is for him and Salem to track down our missing loved ones and face the one behind this themselves, without the help of the police."

"But wait, why should we trust him? Uncle Mauricio, we know he was Sin." Cecil said coldly, Jayden and Miranda's eyes hardening at the mention of the old name their brunette father's twin once used; Shane visibly flinched at the alias, Salem glaring at the ravenette for bringing up his adoptive dad's painful past to light.

"Because of him, our Pa and Dad and everyone almost died thirteen years ago; because of him, Dad hated himself and became Shadow; because of him, we were close to never being born in the first place." Jayden added, pearly teeth showing in a fake smile.

"You hurt our Dad so much, Uncle Shane; we don't mean to judge you so harshly, but thanks to you...so many things has left our family in shambles." Miranda put in, Salem losing his temper and rising to his feet; the chair hit the floor from the kick he gave it, fists tight and teeth bared like a wolf's.

"Listen idiots, lay off my old man! He's cool now, he doesn't hate James and only wants to help! You think he'd be here giving a fuck about you guys if he didn't care, if he didn't feel bad about what happened and wanted to be friends with his brother again? We only came here to get the suits and tech we need to track, help and save them, you guys got in the way and we're wasting time! The first forty-eight hours of a crime, it's the time we need to use wisely or a tragedy can take place! So listen and listen good, either you lay off his back and show some sort of compassion or I'll kick your asses like I didn't get to in the Cave! We're the heroes, leave this to the professionals!" Salem hollered, Mauricio reaching out to calm the boy down.

"Salem, please calm down. You'd act the same way if your roles were reversed, please let's talk this out without resorting to fist fights."

"Wait, 'professionals'? You mean, you two are heroes like Dad use to be?" Miranda asked, forcing herself between Jayden and Salem since, any minute now, punches could be thrown out between them.

Shane, all at ease now with arms crossed over his firm chest, nodded in return.

"Yes. You see, I have kept Sherwood safe all these years in my brother's place; I use a different name of course, since Sin was the name of my past self, my hero name being Storm instead with Salem's as Blood. We know that...Sherwood misses Shadow, the real Dark Knight of their town, but has dealt with us quite alright. We've been in charge of keeping my brother's legacy alive, but not once I nor Salem have tried to take his post as Shadow; Shadow was him, and he always will be." Shane replied.

"Taking care of Sherwood in James' place has been Shane's way of atoning for what he did, guys; he's not a bad person, never was but just needed some help back then. He's not a bad guy, he's not Sin anymore..." Mauricio added, taking Shane's hand in his. The children look at their joined hands and then at each other; was Mauricio dating Shane? Were they together, or just best friends?

Judging from the faint smile crossing Salem's passive face, the first idea was correct.

"S-So, someone who's close to us...is behind our parents missing?" Jayden asked, for both a change of subject and to focus on the main issue.

"Yes, well not exactly; this person isn't close as in real contact with us, but it is someone we do know of." Mauricio explained.

"This bastard's done a good job on cutting us off with everyone; my mother and Kendall's as well don't know what's going on due to their satellite connections heavy with outside interference, Katie being one of the hostages in this case." Shane reported.

"But who then, Father nor Papi have enemies. Why would anyone try to hurt them, to hurt us?" Cecil mused, Miranda and Jayden lost on that too.

"Let's just say, this guy's got a real bone to pick with us; more specifically y'all two's dad." Salem said, eyes a dark copper.

"It's someone that hates James with the intensity I once did, someone who was my friend but now my worst enemy." Shane whispered, "Which is why, we need to hurry; I will tell you three who I think, no I feel 99.9 percent sure, is behind this but down at the Cave, I have a feeling the six of us are the only ones that can save everyone now. The police will be of no use to us." Shane said, face a mixture of shame and anger.

No one said nothing, nothing but only followed the white-clad male back down to the basement.

...

Kendall bit his lip and choked on his hot, boiling tears as he heard James groan weakly in pain, the sound of fists and metal clashing sickly with firm, warm skin.

"H-HERMANO!" Jade screamed, sobbing into Dak's shoulder while the ravenette tried to keep his own composure in line; Logan was squirming and struggling to fight the bonds holding him down while Carlos himself gasped back whispers of pure agony, the guy beating the crap out of James doing the same to the small Latino.

"Stop it, j-just stop! You're killing them!" Damian snarled, Joslyn's face pale was he saw all the blood, sweat, and vomit now coating the slick, white glossy floor. Katie said not a word, trying to block out the horrendous noises and images from her mind's eye.

A voice laughed, James taking in a sharp breath as four of his ribs snapped.

"JAMES!" Kendall screamed, shoulders shaking dangerously as his dear husband layed in his own pool of blood.

"Just a little longer; than I can make you pay, James. You'll pay, dearly..."

...

"Okay Cecil, you'll help by setting up the supercomputer and base of operations for Code 1313, the code for the emergency security countermeasures if this place gets stormed; Jayden, you and Shane get the suits and equipment ready, take everything you may need and train as much you can one-on-one. I'll see if I can hack into James or Kendall's cell-phone with the tracking system to get their exact location; chances are where they are, everyone else is too." Mauricio called the shots and everyone got to work, busying themselves with their tasks for the plan Shane had laid out for them several minutes ago.

Well, everyone but Miranda.

Jayden told her to stay put, that he would handle it all for her so that she wouldn't do anything risky; Cecil was the computer genius so she didn't need any help setting up the countermeasures and Shane was testing her brother's fighting skills, he did nothing but smile at her when their eyes met.

She felt useless, sitting on one of the spare tables toying with a smoke bomb shell in her hands, head bowed and mercury brown eyes dark with dread.

"Hey something wrong, beautiful?"

She looked up to see Salem's grim yet curious eyes staring at her, she sighing and shaking her head.

"I just wish I could do something to help everyone; my big brother, I know he wants to protect me but I can fight too! I'm just as strong as him, I take as many sports as him and I know how to fight...! I just wish, he'd let me show him that I'm a big girl, not a little baby anymore." She said, Salem crouching in his usual cat-like posture beside her on the table, scoffing in amusement under his breath.

"Hey, at least you're doing nothing just because you were ordered to; the old man won't let me help because I'm grounded, you know for nearly bashing you three to pieces. Besides, you'll get your chance to prove yourself: your idiot of a brother is being taught more defense than offense from my dad, looks like he thinks you can be more vicious."

"Hey, don't call my brother that!"

"See, fiesty attitude and a tongue to match! You'll be a great hero, you'll see. Better than your geeky cousin will be hopefully, since I think she's better suited behind a comm. giving help and advice on tight ends than out in the field." Salem said as if not hearing Miranda's comeback, grinning so that his sharp teeth grazed the skin of his lower lip.

"Isn't that easy for you to say, considering you were trained since like childhood for this?" She asked, rolling her eyes and going for a change of subject; Salem smirked at this, liking her backbone already. She wasn't annoying as heck like Cecil or dumb like Jayden, she had spunk and voice.

"Yeah true, I'm more experienced with this than you three, I'm the feared Blood of Sherwood after all. Still, I was a novice like you guys once so...that goes to show that even a trained hero wasn't born with his skills. And...don't doubt yourself, okay beautiful? This team will need you, believe it or not, so no downing yourself before this big mission, got it?"

"Hey you, leave my sister alone!" Jayden called back to Salem, a glare on; the ravenette only rolled his eyes and faked a yawn, smirking when he saw the brunette's midnight green eyes grow dark in irritation.

"Calm the fuck down, hot head! Just trying to cheer your hottie of a sister up, where's the harm in that? Come on beautiful, I'll train with you! You and me, one-on-one! Don't expect me not to rough you up, it's worse on the field! Come on beautiful, let's show what we can make together to your brother, a dynamic duo!" Miranda yelped as she was pulled off the table and yanked into Salem's arms, face pressing against his toned chest as he fiddled with a strand of her long, dirty blonde hair.

"Hey, I said to leave her alone!" Jayden threw out a punch, which Salem ducked when he released Miranda and smirked again, fists up.

"Come and get me, hot head."

Miranda just watched with a sheepish look as her brother and new teammate began to spar with the other, the force behind the kicks and jabs thrown out harsher than regularly used.

"Um, shouldn't we stop them?" She asked, Shane at her side while he rubbed his left temple.

"No, let them train; they could use it for later tonight, Mauricio will teach Cecil while I train you, Miranda." At seeing the slightly scared look crossing the child's eyes, Shane offered a kind smile; it wasn't like Dad's, for his was more amused and teasing but...it was still warm and welcoming.

"O-Okay, Uncle Shane...! Train me the best you can, and don't hold back!"

"I can see it now, you are my brother's daughter. Well then, shall we?"

...

"So, tell me why you're doing this? I mean, too chicken to face me alone?" James received a sharp slap to the face for the comment, he bloody and tied up to a chair with a black blindfold over his brown eyes and a pair of headphones over his ears to block everything else but the other man's voice; his mouth wasn't gagged however, and he could smell the sweat, blood, everything on and around his body.

A gun met his chin, he flinching at the tender spot there but otherwise unfazed by the firearm.

"No, not really; I just thought of eliminating everyone in one blow."

"Is that so? Well, I don't see you trying to."

"No, I don't mean just you, James; I mean that I want to kill everyone, including those little kids you had with that blonde bitch."

Rage turned James' eyes red; he thrashed and growled like a feral beast, tears in his eyes but blood pumping with boiling anger.

"DON'T YOU DARE YOU BRING THEM INTO THIS, YOU BASTARD! YOU HURT THEM, I'LL KILL YOU AND TAKE YOU TO HELL PERSONALLY!" James growled, getting a punch to the face; he spat out a loose tooth to the ground, head falling forward.

"As if you can do anything about it, James. It's hard to believe I had such a weak son."

...

"Okay, everyone okay with the plan? Say something now, you'll be free to stay out of it if you wish." Mauricio asked, the sky now dark and without a moon outside the quiet Diamond-Knight household; Miranda and Jayden shook their heads in decline, wanting nothing more than to get into action.

"I can do all the tech hacking and such through the mini-computer programmed into my suit's gloves, so I can come along and kick the ass of the guy who's behind all this." Cecil answered, smirking a weird smirk; it was like she was excited and scared at the same time.

"As if I'll miss out on the action, beating some goons up is one of my favorite hobbies! Let's go, time's running out!" Salem barked, already in his Blood costume and grinning like an insane (though good insane!) maniac.

"I'm going with you four; you are my charges and Salem is my son, plus...I have a score to settle with the mastermind behind this mess." Shane added, dressed and ready to go as well.

"Okay, I'll head the base of operations here and keep in contact through the communicators Ce Ce and I programmed into the suits. I have already locked on to the coördinates of everyone's direct location, thank God James doesn't have hacking protection from his own tech. Everything will be controled from here, I'll be everyone's tech brain while you guys are the stealth and muscles." Mauricio concluded, Shane's mask taking a blue tint as he reviewed the blueprints of the place they were planning to infiltrate via glove computer.

"Another fashion company, one of James' top competitors; the only information about the boss is that his face is well-hidden, always a representative in his stance. Which means no one knows the genius behind all the trends, his main company building is closed for the night, sounds like the perfect opportunity for a secret meeting."

"Cecil and Jayden will go with you, old man; your car's engine is silent and fast. Beautiful, you're coming with me on my motorcycle." Salem said, grabbing said girl's hand and leading her out the door; Miranda was quick to fasten her domino mask over her brown eyes before she was gone, Jayden glaring with his arms crossed.

"Okay I'm not going to say anything about them being partners, but I swear that if he tries anything..." The brunette whispered, Cecil rolling her eyes and punching his arm.

"Shut up, get into hero mode and let's go. Uncle Shane, call the shots!"

...

"Make sure that whoever you see coming, shoot them down and hide the body! Got it?"

"Sure boss, but don't sweat it; we'll make anyone who comes here regret it." The head of the main squad replied; all were men in black suits and sunglasses on, all looking normal apart for the AK-47s in their hands.

"Fine, but fail me and you're dead." The boss, wearing the shadows of the night as a mask, replied gruffly before disappearing into the large, tall building for the roof floor. The men nodded and poised themselves for guard, completely unaware of the thin, hooded figure walking a tightrope over their heads.

One of the men, tall with a shaggy gray beard, walked farther from the group to survey the scene; his eyes went wide as long, lean legs wrapped around his neck suddenly and squeezed hard, followed by a hand falling over his nose and mouth with a cloth bathed in a strong, weird-smelling substance. The goon struggled until he went limp, he falling to the ground in a mess of black and his abandoned AK-47.

"Wow, these guys aren't so good at their job. Still, the fun part is locking them away!" Salem fell gracefully to his feet and soon stood up; he grabbed the man's ankles and began to drag him down the street and away from the building, stopping in the middle of the deserted stoplight intersection and removing the sewer hole's lid.

"Hope you enjoy your long sleep, dude; probably want to shower afterwards, though." Salem hissed into his ear, before kicking the guy to the ass, hard; he toppled into the pit instantly and disappeared into the blackness, Salem fastening the lid with a few snap explosives in hand.

"Still, let's not make it too easy on you." The fifteen-year old stood up, the street lights casting their golden rays to his costume. He was dressed in a costume that had elastic qualities for flexibility and stealth, but had appeared like spandex and hugged his body but still allowed breathing to his skin. The top was a shirt that cuffed at his shoulders, color scheme maroon to add emphasize to his hero name, with black accents and gray; the shirt was maroon with a tear from the right shoulder to the center torso, fish net undershirt below to protect his exposed skin while a black accent traced the tear like ink to paper. His pants were maroon as well with black tears stitched up with gray thread, constricting somewhat to his runner's legs yet loose enough to allow swift movement; his boots were black with several metal plates added to protect his shins. His gloves were elbow-length, black with maroon and gray workings along the fingers, slits to the gloves with protective metal hiding his skin and, to really bash someone's face in, more flexible metal in the insides of the gloves at the knuckles. Salem's head and masked face (domino only white lined with red) were covered by a hood attached to his cape, the cape stopping to his calves; the material was a dark gray with a hawk-like frame, his bo-staff retracting from his coal-black utility belt.

Salem counted to ten to himself, smiling when a large sound, mimicking a large asteroid meeting earth, covered the guys in thick, heavy smoke; all were on the ground out cold, guns thrown like broken toys around them.

Salem (or Blood, as his hero name entitled) faked a yawn and switched on the comm. in his ear, hearing the static from the other end as Mauricio waited for him to give the word.

"Mau, the security goons are out; the team can go in."


End file.
